


Baby on Board

by Ughdar



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-06-17 22:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15471141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ughdar/pseuds/Ughdar
Summary: ALERT: This is the re-write of my first original fanfiction story, Baby on Board.It has been over two years since the marriage of Zootopia's famous police duo. Now, during a time when the pair is expecting to usher in a new part of their lives together, danger re-emerges. Long forgotten, an escaped female arctic wolf, who lost everything at the paws of Judy and Nick, now seeks her revenge.





	1. Anticipation

**Author's Note:**

> I want to take a quick moment and thank a few individuals for their tireless help in making this revision possible. Each of them has been an important part of my team, helping me with my revisions and offering suggestions. First, Velocity3127, for your time and the many great suggestions you offered me, thank you. Second, thecrazystorywriter14, for your proofreading and support, you are a master at it. Third, WanderlustandFreedom, you have been there for me the longest. You have helped me in so many ways since the beginning. I want to thank you most of all. I feel I have taken a few steps closer to becoming a better writer, due to your help and guidance.

As a pair of elevator doors slowly slid open, the figure of a slim grey doe bunny suddenly became visible. Dressed in a pair of casual jeans and a white blouse, she slowly looked up, as a sense of uneasiness filled deep in her. As she stepped cautiously along the sunlit hallway, faltering while taking in the familiar surroundings she came to a stop. The doe, pressing a firm paw along one of the hallway's glass windows she steadied herself as she looked along the city skyline. Closing her eyes, breathing in deeply and exhaling, her emotions, plaguing her as of late, started to manifest again. “ _I should have asked him to come with me. What if we were wrong to do this? Is this truly the right thing for us?_ ”

The doe, releasing her paw from the window, placing it on her flat stomach, she opened her eyes gently. Her eyes filling with tears, she felt as if she was on the verge of collapse. “ _Just breathe. You can do this; focus on something else,_ ” She told herself desperately as a few tears fell lightly on her face. The doe wiped her eyes as she now focused on a single solitary white door along the far end of the sun-filled hallway. _“That’s it, breathe.”_

Slowly, taking a few steps forward, Judy glanced along the room’s seemingly calming grey-blue walls. She began to focus on a line of small, framed photographs that were spaced along its textured surface. A mixture of low sunlit forests clearings and ocean backdrops, each one hung nearly perfectly level to her. Feeling her feet came to a sudden stop, she rested her eyes on a small photograph of a forest clearing. Gazing into the photo’s depths, feeling her heart rate hasten, she felt an uneasiness fall over her. There, peering from within the depths along the forest's trees, a dark, sinister figure appeared to gaze back at her. Judy, pressing her eyelids firmly closed and reopening them she focused on the trees in the photograph, examining the small clearing. _“But…it was right…?”_ She said to herself, examining right where, only seconds before, she had seen the figure standing within the trees.

Feeling as if she was somehow becoming trapped, struggling to breathe properly, she hastened her pace along the remaining length of the hallway. As she passed by the last of photographs, Judy looked over her shoulder, catching sight of the forest photograph, one last time. Turning back as she approached the white door, she took a deep breath as she came to sudden stop. Grasping the door’s handle firmly in one of her paws, she opened the door and stepped quickly inside. Shutting the door behind her, she pressed her back firmly against it.

Her nose twitching nervously to the sudden strong aroma of antiseptic lingering in the air, she felt a shiver run along her face and paws. Feeling the room’s cold temperature on her fur, she began to slowly wrap her front paws around herself, rubbing them on her shoulders and arms. Judy, stepping away from the door, her ears flat along her back, a sense of anxiety rose within her. Taking a second to steady herself, she moved carefully toward a rather small glass window partition, along the rooms left side wall. Looking through the window partition, she slowly uttered in a soft voice, “Hi…ah, I have a nine o’clock appointment with Dr. Maneburg. Last name Wilde.”

A short, black middle-aged ewe, wearing a pink nurse’s smock, glanced up at her before turning toward an appointment sheet next to her. Turning back to her, the ewe, noticing Judy’s nervousness immediately, returned a warm smile through the partition. “Good morning Mrs. Wilde, if you’ll please have a seat, I’ll go tell Dr. Maneburg that you are here.” The ewe continued to smile back at Judy as she picked up and removing a small yellow medical folder from a file holder. The ewe, rising from her seat, she crossed along the small reception office and out through an open doorway.

Judy, turning away from the window, slowly exhaled as she now gazed along the empty waiting area. Lowering herself gingerly on one of the rooms padded chairs nearest to her, she nervously began rubbing her right arm. Closing her eyes, for what seemed only minutes, Judy felt a slight calming sensation slowly start to engross her. She felt, for the first time since waking that morning, at peace, sitting in the early morning sunlight and bathing her soft exposed fur. At peace, that is, before suddenly being awoken by the sound of, "Mrs. Wilde?” Judy, quickly opening her eyes, startled, noticed the nurse directly in front of her. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Wilde…” She spoke, jumping in shock. “Dr. Maneburg is ready for you now; would you follow me, please?”

Judy, rising slowly from her chair, she moved toward the ewe as the nurse moved to one side, holding the door open. The ewe carefully extended a caring cloven paw toward her, Judy passed, without a word, through the doorway. Her head lowered, Judy entered the first open examination room she came to, a few steps ahead of the nurse, Quickly seeing this action, the ewe reached out and placed her cloven paw on Judy’s shoulder. She said, “Oh no, Mrs. Wilde…” The ewe moved around to face Judy. “Dr. Maneburg informed me that he wished to go over your results personally in his office. If you follow me this way, I will take you there.” The ewe gave Judy another warm smile and motioned her out of the room, down a short hallway.  

Both females, turning along a corner in the hallway suddenly came to a stop, approaching a large, closed wooden door. Judy, noticing at once two neatly polished brass label inscriptions on it she read the first inscription, “Dr. Gregory Maneburg” followed by the second, “Obstetrician”. The ewe, bestowing a few gentle knocks on the door before turning the handle, she pushed the door open. Judy entered nervously, close behind the ewe as she said. “Greg, I have Mrs. Wilde here to see you.”

Sitting comfortably behind a large oak desk, dressed in a simple grey suit, Dr. Gregory Maneburg, a Savannah lion, raised his eyes towards the short ewe as she entered. He smiled happily, setting a few sheets of paper down in front of himself as he watched Judy enter the office. Rising to greet her, he spoke in a welcoming tone, “Good morning Mrs. Wilde.” Tilting his head slightly he turned his attention back to the black ewe. “Thank you, Sarah, you can leave us now.” Sarah, still smiling as she backed away, reached out for Judy’s trembling paws as she exited, gently patting them, before closing the door behind her.

“Please…” Dr. Maneburg spoke again, still smiling broadly back at Judy in a caring tone, as he motioned her to a set of cushion chairs in front of his desk. “…it’s perfectly alright.” Judy walked slowly toward one of the chairs and quietly took a seat, struggling to look fully up at Dr. Maneburg. He noticed her body language and wished not to cause her greater anxiety as he cleared his throat slightly, lowering himself back down into his chair. "How have you been feeling this past week, since we were last together? You look well."

Judy, looking Dr. Maneburg in his eyes, felt a warm sense of harmony come over her with those words as she thought back on the past few days. Letting out a snigger, she thought, _“You wouldn’t say that if you saw me only two days ago.”_

_"Hup, buumg, bleegh!"_

_"Judy?" Nick's voice called out as the sound of heavy retching began to echo from the bedroom's bathroom. His heart racing as he entered their bathroom, he found Judy lying on the floor next to the toilet, her face now wet with sweat. He lowered himself gently next to her as he wrapped an arm around her, embracing her._

_"I can't do…" Judy faltered with her words, feeling her stomach turn once again. "I feel horrible, Nick."_

_"It's okay Carrots, I'm right her," Nick replied, rubbing his cheek softly against hers. The two of them continued to sit there, on the cold bathroom floor, for a few minutes, not saying a word. "I'll call Bogo in a few minutes, and tell him you won't be coming in again."_

Dr. Maneburg, removing a pair of reading glasses, continued to watch Judy as she sat quietly in the chair in front of him. “Judy?” he spoke softly to her. “Is everything alright?”

“What?” Judy spoke, her mind returning to the present.

“I said is everything alright?” Dr. Maneburg repeated, a look of concern showing through his thick mane.

“Oh…yes… well, I’ve still been having those stomach pains, which I described the last time. During the past few mornings, I’ve been throwing up, and my legs seem to b-be getting s-sorer more often and…” She began to cry out loud, raising both paws to her face as she was unable to hold back her tears. Maneburg, rising quickly from his chair and moving toward Judy, knelt next to her.

“Mrs. Wilde…Judy…please, it’s quite all right. I didn’t mean to upset you. I know how scared you must be right now, but I can assure you, you have nothing to be worried about.” He wiped her cheek with his paw finger as he looked at her. “If there is one thing I know about you, it’s how strong you are. You and your husband are two of the finest mammals I’ve ever been acquainted with.”

Looking away nervously, Judy, her grey cheeks blushing from his words, drew a sudden short breath. “Thank you, for saying that, Dr. Maneburg. It means a lot coming from you.” Judy turned back to him.

He smiled back at her and rose back up to his feet, taking a few steps back along his desk. “When the two of you asked me if there was the slightest chance of starting a family, I said anything was possible. There have been many cases of predator and prey hybrids before the two of you.” He leaned against the desk and continued speaking. “I remember reading about one such case during my internship, thinking back on it when I was younger. The couple was a female savannah cat and male rabbit. Despite all the odds and persecution by their fellow mammals, the couple produced two fully healthy kittens.” Dr. Maneburg turned around and reached behind him, grabbing ahold of the medical file that Sarah had brought him. He opened it and turned back at Judy as he placed his glasses back on. "We have the results of your blood work we sent out, from your last visit with us." Judy, nervously eyeing the medical file, took a short breath as both of her ears rose in anticipation. "The results definitively conclude what we suspected already based on your preliminary signs and symptoms. Your LH levels are shown to be slightly elevated…" Dr. Maneburg cleared his throat again, as he continued to read. "…and your progesterone productions are currently twice the normal levels." He finished reading and looked at Judy with a large smile on his face. "Based on all your levels I am reading here, I am happy to tell you, that you are indeed pregnant Mrs. Wilde."

Judy, her eyes suddenly alive with this sudden news, could do nothing but stare back at the doctor. _“I’m pregnant…I really am pregnant,”_ Judy kept telling herself repeatedly in her head, unable to believe it. Nearly two years after Judy and Nick’s marriage, their dreams were soon to come true. Suddenly jumping out of her chair, she wrapped her arms around Dr. Maneburg’s thick mane, crying.

Dr. Maneburg, laughing happily, returned Judy’s hug as he began accepting her thanks. “Now, Judy, we need to discuss a few things.” Dr. Maneburg spoke slowly, letting go and lowering her gently back to the floor. “This is not going to be a normal bunny pregnancy for you. Due to the fact that your husband’s species differs from your own, there will be alterations. The length of your pregnancy for one will be increased by a few weeks. The biggest part for you will be maintaining your nutritional intake.” He walked around to the other side of his desk and lowered himself into his chair. "One thing I would suggest from you is to add alfalfa more to your diet and increasing your water intake. Doe’s like yourself, whose bodies develop nutritional deficiencies, can cause a miscarriage or, worse, reabsorb the fetuses. Now, changing your diet is the easy part.” Dr. Maneburg looked at her. “During your pregnancy, due to your husband’s species, you may at times have some predatory food cravings.”

Twenty minutes later, listening carefully to Dr. Maneburg’s words, Judy rushed toward him one last time. Hugging Dr. Maneburg who was still seated in his chair, her heart raced as she turned and hurried out the room. Judy, coming to a stop just before the waiting area door, she waited patiently as she made her next follow-up appointment with Sarah. The black ewe printed Judy a confirmation sheet for her next appointment, then went to retrieve something in the next room. "Now, Mrs. Wilde, Dr. Maneburg wanted me to make sure you get one of his cards," Sarah spoke, returning and handing Judy a business card before retrieving the sheet from the printer. "If for any reason you feel something is going wrong or you have any questions about anything, you are to give the doctor a call directly. Both his office and personal numbers are on that card I gave you, right here." She pointed down to the card as she handed Judy her appointment printout.

Judy, waving goodbye to Sarah minutes later, stepped out into the waiting room and out into the hallway. Happy emotions started to flood through her as she made her way along the hallway towards the elevator. She reached into her purse and removed her phone as the elevator doors opened. Quickly tapping on its screen, she raised it to her ear. “Hey, mom… nothing is wrong, I just wanted …” Judy began to speak as the doors closed behind her.

A short time later, Judy, returning back at her and Nick's apartment, Nick's voice called, "Carrots…is that you?" The sound of the front door closing echoed. "Did everything go alright with your appointment?" Inside their tiny kitchen, dressed only in a police t-shirt and checkered boxers, Nick leaned against the countertop, next to the sink. A small bowl filled with his favorite fruity flavored bug cereal in one of his paws, he took a bite from his spoon. Savoring the sweet flavor of the cereal, Nick turned his head now toward the living room. "Carwots?" His mouth full of cereal, he called out once again to an eerie silence. Nick, swallowing as he lowered the bowl down on the counter, his ears rose over his head. A feeling of uneasiness building within him, he moved toward the kitchen's opening, peering into the living room. There, standing alone, feet from the front door, he saw Judy. Judy, standing there, not saying a word, grasped the back of one of the room's armchairs. "Carrots? What's wrong…is everything alright?" Nick, still feeling a sense of uneasiness, walked quickly up to her, grabbing her paws in his. "Judy?"

“Yeah…Nick.” Taking a deep breath, Judy tried desperately to steady herself. “I’m fine. I…I was thinking how to…” Rising on the tips of her feet, she brought her head to rest on Nick’s chest. She felt his heart beat against her, listening to his lungs fill with air. Lowering herself back down, only to raise herself back on the tips of her feet to kiss Nick along his left cheek, she gazed into his eyes. “I…that is, we, love you so much.” Nick, his ears lowering fast along his head, felt a strange feeling manifest deep at the base of his stomach.

Hearing the sudden change to the word “We”, Judy had just spoken, Nick repeated it in a low shaking voice. He gauged the now happy look Judy was giving him. “Judy, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

"Yes, dad…I hope you are because we love you so much right now." Judy's face became teary-eyed almost immediately. She gazed at Nick, continuing to smile back at him as she flashed a look toward her stomach then back. "We're pregnant Nick."

“Pregnant…dad…” Nick started to shout. “I’m going to be a dad!” Looking at Judy, prouder than any mammal alive, he lifted her in his arms. The two of them, locked in a loving embrace, collapsed right there on the floor, neither one wished to let go of the other.


	2. Nightmares

Jumping in haste over a fallen tree, Judy came to a sudden stop. As she stood there along an overgrown path, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being hunted. She looked back over her shoulder as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. _Where?_ She asked herself, as she observed the fading sunlight illuminating the forest floor. Her animal instincts erupting within her, Judy dashed once more down the path. Standing in a small clearing, she inhaled deeply as she lowered her head and placed both paws on her knees.

_Snap!_

Judy, her heart jumping, stood erect. "Who's there? Show yourself!" Judy called out, to no reply. Hesitant to remain motionless for too much longer, Judy sprinted into the dense woods and off the safety of the path. Unsure now of where she was, she ran through a thick mass of vegetation before feeling a slicing pain cut across her outer leg. Her stride faltering, as she felt the ground beneath her give way Judy closed her eyes.

It was over in a manner of seconds. Judy felt as her body hit the ground, covered in vegetation, as she began to roll down an embankment. Her body, bruised by the fall, came to a dead stop next to an old Sypris tree, its roots beneath her. Judy, grasping her injured leg in panic, yelled out in anger as she slowly sat up. She began to glance around her as she pressed her back against the base of the tree. Tears falling down her face, she looked down at her right leg. "Damn it! She spoke aloud. _"Stupid...Stupid."_ Judy, placing a shaky paw over the fresh cut on her leg, began to argue with herself as she applied pressure to the wound.

_Snap!_

Judy raised her head and gazed out at the dense woods, her clothes and fur now covered in dirt. The sound of a childlike laugh suddenly echoed. Judy, turning her head in every direction, called out once again, "Where are you?" She heard movement followed by more laughter behind her, as if someone had been right next to her seconds before. "Wait…stop!" Judy called out as she extended one of her paws. She placed her feet underneath her as she struggled to raise herself up, using one of the trees for support. It was at that moment the sound of a sudden crack echoed close to her. Still holding onto the tree beside her, she looked back up at the crest of the embankment she had tumbled down. What she saw next, froze her very core.

Gazing around, not wanting to put too much weight on her leg, she felt the temperature plunge. A dark cloaked figure moved soundlessly along the tree line. Its deep, hollowed breaths seemed to echo in the cold air. Judy, frozen to the spot, watched as it turned its hooded head toward her. Extending a rotten and matted paw from beneath its cloak, it drew a single dead finger toward her. _"River…ton, flesh of the sons,"_ a slow, eerie voice spoke within Judy's head. The figure, shrouded in the tattered cloak it wore, began to disappear before her. Judy, clutching her stomach almost immediately, felt a heavy pain begin to manifest itself deep inside her. The icy cold air piercing around her, she let out a sharp scream as she collapsed to the ground again.

It was all over in a split second. Judy, opening her eyes, was suddenly blinded by bright sunlight. Not knowing how it was possible, Judy, blinking hastily, found that she was no longer lying in the forest. Getting to her feet, her mind unable to think clearly, Judy found herself now in what appeared to be a sun-filled open field. "I know this field, but...that would mean I'm back..." Judy, struggling to finish the last two words, spoke them in her mind. _"...in Bunnyburrow!"_ She felt a slow breeze brush along her face as the sounds of laughter echoed in the wind. Judy turned as she looked out on the rolling field, quickly finding the source of the laughter some distance away from her. Her heart seemed to skip as she noticed two small kits turn toward her and wave to her. Each one laughing joyfully, the sound of their laughter began to fade away. Examining each of the kits from her position, Judy noticed something both odd, and yet very familiar with them.

Moving a few steps closer she stood for a moment in the tall grass, noticing their narrow red and grey bodies from her position. Plainly visible as foxes, she noticed something strange about their faces. As she continued to watch them, she noticed that their muzzles were shorter than those of foxes, as if they were almost bunny-ish. _"But how can this be?"_ Judy asked herself as her attention turned entirely to the small female kit. She struggled to breathe as she noticed even from her distance, for the first time, the kit's soft emerald eyes staring back at her. _"Those eyes…"_ Judy suddenly spoke in her mind, _"…they look like…Nick!"_ She felt her legs become weak as she lowered herself to the ground. Not taking her eyes off the kits, she watched as both started to play with one another. Judy, laughing at them, felt for a moment a small sense of peace within her as she watched them roll over in a patch of wildflowers.

Hearing a loud and sudden crack close to her, she sensed the same fear she had in the forest flood over her. Judy rose as she turned along the now darkening sky. She felt as the air temperature around her began to plummet once again. The tattered cloaked figure she had seen from the forest suddenly appeared from a distance. The figure, its cloak moving unnervingly in the wind, took flight above tops of the field, heading toward the kits. "Oh god… no!" Judy called out, remembering the words she had heard in the forest. Through the field, far behind the dark figure, she too raced towards the kits.

Judy, short of breath, struggled to keep up with her weak pace. Not taking her eyes off the figure, she watched as it opened its cloak midair before reaching the kits. Time and reality immediately began to slow down, as if coming to a complete stop, ticking second by second. The young female kit, turning in slow motion toward the direction of Judy, continued to smile as she lay among the flowers. The figure, descending to the ground far ahead of Judy, wrapped both of the kits in its cloak. The figure turned and stood on the spot where the kits had only seconds been, its back now facing Judy.

Judy, uncontrollable rage erupting from her, screamed aloud as she rushed for the figure. The figure, turning around at once, raised a dead finger and pointed it straight at Judy's chest. The sound of a single gunshot rang out across the open field. Judy, clutching her chest, felt as a sharp force rip through her body. She collapsed only mere feet from where the figure now stood. As she lay there, under the darkened sky, Judy felt the unmistakable feeling of blood slowly began to soak through the shirt she wore. Her eyes struggling to focus, she felt the ground shift as if someone had moved next to her.

Judy, her breathing becoming erratic, closed her eyes as she struggled to cry out, "Help…help m…me, please." Feeling at that moment as if a heavy weight had somehow been placed on her stomach, she reopened her eyes. The cloaked figure, now suspended over her, began to press its rotted paws on her body. She closed her eyes once again as the faceless figure gazed back at her, its cold foul-smelling breath on her fur. _"You cannot…protect them."_ The eerie voice spoke one last time in her head as Judy opened her eyes, pain erupting inside her stomach. The figure, opening its mouth wide, lunged down at Judy. Tears falling from her cheeks, unable to scream or move, Judy felt darkness consume her.

* * *

Hyperventilating, the fur along the side of her face now damp with sweat, Judy awoke suddenly. A shooting pain now erupting along her lower back, she struggled as she raised herself from the bed. Judy, grasping at her belly, fear racing through her mind, she gazed out into the dark bedroom. It seemed only like a short time ago when Judy found out she was pregnant. With just a month now to go until her due date, Judy, for reasons unknown, was starting to have frequent nightmares. Bursting into tears, lowering herself back onto the bed, she felt her whole body begin to shake. Judy, adjusting herself carefully, settled back on her left side as the pain in her lower back receded. Closing her eyes once more, gliding her paw across her stomach, she took a breath. Feeling a gentle kick along her belly, she lowered her head close to her stomach. "Did someone have the same bad dream also?" She asked, rubbing her belly gently.

A sense of calm returning over to her, she turned her head over her right shoulder. Nick lying there next to her in a state of deep sleep, Judy knew she and the kits were safe. Repositioning her head, she placed her ears above her head as she felt Nick's soft breath touch the back of her neck. Feeling each of his short warm breaths touch her fur, her body started to flood with an enticing sensation. She began pressing her body closer to him, yearning for the touch of his fur against her own. Reaching behind her as she glanced over her shoulder again, she grabbed Nick's left paw and draped it over her.

Judy clutched tighter to Nick's embrace as she felt the few tears fall along her face. She took pleasure in its calming effect on her as she started to think back on the dream she just had. _"Why is this happening to me? What's does it mean?"_ She asked herself. _"Who is the mysterious dark figure I keep seeing?"_ Sensing a slight pain run along the side she was laying on, she shifted to her other side, facing Nick. She used one of her paws to wipe the last of the tears before she placed it gently on Nick's chest. Judy, feeling the steady beat of his heart, she continued to gaze at him with added affection. Not wanting to wake him, she leaned toward his exposed right ear. As she licked her lips, hovered above the short hairs of his ear, she whispered, "I love you." Lowering herself back down, Judy, careful not to wake him, took the opportunity to kiss him on his cheek. Nestled up against Nick's bare fur chest, Judy continued to listen to the calming rapid heartbeat from Nick. Her nightmare gone from her mind, she allowed sleep to gently overtake her once more.

Recalling a moment from her infant years when she would lie next to her mother in somewhat the same way, Judy smiled. Remembering the words to a lullaby her mother had sung to her and her siblings, she started to sing it in her mind _. "Lavender's green, dilly dilly, lavender's blue. If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love…"_

"… What the?" Judy stopped in mid-song as something started to rub along her. Feeling her heart speed up, thinking of the dark figure from her dream, she looked at her belly. Nick, still asleep, had somehow unexpectedly begun pawing at her light nightdress. His paw extending and retracting affectionately over her belly, Judy, laughing quietly to its sensation, laid her paw over his. Lowering her head back to her pillows, she felt another tiny kick inside her. She moved Nick's paw over the width of her belly, feeling his pawing stop at once.

"Sly fox," Judy whispered under her breath, as she leaned back on her pillow. "How can you be both so lovable and protective, even when you're sleeping soundly?" Letting go of his arm, she rubbed her belly a final time. "As for the two of you…" she whispered, "You two should be asleep also." Closing her eyes, Judy asked herself, _"Should I tell Nick about the nightmares?"_ Before coming up with a definitive answer wrapped safely in her husband's arm, Judy drifted back off to sleep.


	3. Among Friends

**_The following morning…_ **

“Buzz...buzz...buzz...buzz!” The sound of Judy's old orange alarm clock suddenly filled the bedroom. Nick, sound asleep and alone in the bed, awoke with a jolt. He let out a deep sigh, opening a single eyelid before closing it again, as he grunted under his breath. In vain, struggling to ignore the sound of the alarm going off, he rolled over to Judy's side of the bed. Tapping across the top of the alarm clock, silencing the endless noise, he sank beneath the bed’s sheet. His paws grabbed tight to the top of the sheet as he pressed it down hard over his head. In the usual morning tone, he mumbled, _“I hate mornings!”_ Nick yawned before descending deeper under the sheet. _"This is not natural for foxes like me,”_ he thought.

“Nick!” Judy's distant voice suddenly called out to him. “Nick…you need to get up; you’re going to be late!” Nick, hearing her from under the covers, crawled to the bed’s edge. His eyes still shut tight, Nick poked his muzzle out from under the sheet, responding to her. “I’m up.” The cold air touching his muzzle, he immediately withdrew back under the warm sheet. “Good…” Judy’s voice called back into the bedroom. “…now get out of bed, you lazy fox. You’ll be late for shift muster again.”

Nick, emerged a short time later into the living area, his duty bag in one paw. He came to a sudden stop. Nick sniffing the air around him, the fresh aroma of coffee coming from the next room, he dropped his bag onto the floor. Walking over to the room’s threshold that separated the kitchen and living area, Nick paused as he casually leaned against it. The thought of coffee at that moment no longer in his mind, Nick could do nothing but stare at the beautiful sight before him. Judy slowly raised a small cup of her favorite carrot-chai tea to her lips and took a few slow sips as she leaned against the counter.

Closing her eyes as she savored her tea, she tilted her head back. Nick watched her tender movements as his pulse quickened. As he quietly stood there, smiling, he began to examine her lovely form in the sunlight. Dressed in a simple pair of black leggings, she had also chosen to wear one of his old ZPD gym shirts. The shirt, Nick noticed, seemed to be the ideal choice due to its relative size on her. It hung off one of her shoulders, exposing her grey fur along her neckline, and covering her belly. Judy opened her eyes and turned to see Nick, with his all-too-familiar smirk, continuing to stare at her. Judy, delighted with the attention she was receiving, smiled back. “You see something you like here, Sergeant Wilde?” Judy asked in a flirtatious way, giving Nick a casual wink, as she took another sip.

Nick approached her, taking the cup of tea from her paws and placing it on the counter beside them. Swaying with her, he continued to smile back at her. Nick, interlocking both of her paws into his own, raised them, moving behind her. With both of her arms now over her chest, he slid his paws along her upper arms. Judy turned her head to look back at him as she laughed. Nick, smelling the sweet scent of honeysuckle coming off Judy's fur, laughed too as he moved his paws down along the sides of her body. He kissed along the back of her right ear as he turned her back around to face him. As Nick lowered to one knee, feeling along her abdomen, he pressed his mouth to the shirt she wore. “Are you two almost ready?” Nick whispered to her stomach, kissing it twice. Nick, raising his head, gazed into the pair of soft violet eyes he had fallen in love with. Judy, her cheeks blushing, let out small, restrained giggles as she rubbed the tips of Nick’s ears.

“Mr. Wilde, you are without a doubt, one of the slyest and adorable foxes I have ever met. Do you know that?” Judy whispered, leaning in to kiss Nick’s ear, nibbling on it slightly. “And I love you so much for it.”

Nick, rising from the floor, held her head with both of his paws before tenderly kissing her on the nose. “And you, Mrs. Wilde, are one of the… oh, dare I say it… cutest little fuzzy woozy bunnies, I have ever…ouch Carrots!”

“Alright, mister…” Judy laughed, punching Nick hard in the arm for the sly commit. “That’s enough. Here, I got your coffee mug all ready to go. Now go grab your gear, mister; we’re late.” Judy, placing a tall and narrow thermos in his paw, turned Nick around and playfully smacked him on his butt.

“Yes ma’am, Mrs. Wilde!” Nick took a swig from the thermos as he ran across the living area. Judy took one final sip of her tea before placing the cup in the sink. She then reached for her bag and keys on the kitchen counter, laughing to herself.

**_A short time later, entering police headquarters…_ **

“O…M…Goodness!” A voice called out immediately as Judy entered the police station's atrium, arm in arm with Nick.

Judy smiled as she lowered her head in embarrassment before raising it again. Both her and Nick’s closest friend Benjamin Clawhauser waved at her. “Morning Ben,” Judy replied as she let go of Nick’s arm. As they approached the lovable chubby cheetah’s desk, Judy noticed a few lingering stares from one or two officers along the atriums entrance.

Benjamin, pressing his paws along his face, his feet dancing in place, let out a slow high-pitched squeal. “Oh Judy, look at you, you are just simply glowing.” Benjamin rounded his desk and bounced at the pair, stopping in front of Judy.

“Carrots, I’m sorry, I need to go.” Nick turned toward Judy, kissing her on the cheek. Lowering himself, as if to grab something out of his duty bag, Nick touched Judy’s belly. His face pressed up and against her shirt once again, he whispered, “I love you guys.” Not wasting any more time, reaching for his bag, he rose and kissed Judy one last time on the cheek, as he dashed toward the bullpen. “Chief Bogo will have my tail if I miss muster again. I’ll call you during my lunch hour. Love you cottontail.” Nick spoke over his shoulder, waving back to her.

 _“I hate it when he calls me that name in public,”_ Judy mumbled under her breath, blushing as she continued to stand next to Clawhauser. Raising her paw up, watching Nick disappear down a corridor, Judy waved back.

“Oh…Judy, I miss seeing you here at work. It’s just not the same since you left.” Benjamin, his shoulders falling low, turned to make his way back to his desk.

“Ben, come on?” Judy, rolling her eyes, turned to follow Benjamin back over to his desk. “I’m only on maternity leave; it’s not like its permanent or anything. I will be back on full duty in no time, you know me.” Judy smiled as she watches her friend sit back down. “Come on, anything new and exciting happen since I left? Nick told me about the last two cases the squad closed last week. Please, Ben, tell me.” Judy raised herself on the tips of her toes, peering over the desk at Benjamin.

Benjamin, turning his head slightly, looked around the open atrium, “No…not really, no,” he replied as he leaned over his desk. Covering both of Judy’s paws, as they held on to his desk, he raised a smile on his face. “Don’t worry about what's going on here, Judy. You need to be thinking about other things." He let go of her paws as and leaned back in his chair. "So, tell me, are you all ready for the big day to get here?” he asked quickly.

Judy, rolling her eyes another time at Benjamin, returned a guilty stare at him. “Fine Ben, have it your way. But remember, I do have other channels, besides you and Nick, still in this building. I’ll find out what’s happening around here with or without you.” Judy, for the next few minutes, told Benjamin about her and Nick's plans for her due date. "...Dr. Maneburg said he would be more than willing to travel to Bunnyburrow to deliver them. I know my mother would sleep better at night if she knew I was at home with the family and not at some hospital. Nick's mother, Marie, said she plans to arrive at the farm in time to be there to help also."

"It sounds so perfect, Judy!" Benjamin replied, shaking with happiness. "So, what are your plans for today? Are you just going to head back home and rest?" He reached into a small pastry container and withdrew a sprinkle-covered doughnut.

“What? Oh no, not today," Judy replied. "Fru Fru called me the other day, telling me she wanted to treat me and a friend to a day at a favorite spa of hers. So I asked Maple from work here if she would like to join me since it’s one of her days off.”

 _Maple?_ Benjamin thought as a confused look showed on his face, trying to put the name with a face. “Oh right, Ms. Damerton," he replied. "She was the one you were working with down in records before you went on maternity leave."

“Yeah, that’s her,” Judy replied, thinking back to a time when she sat in Bogo’s office.

_“I’m sorry Hopps, but my hoofs are tied on this one. MR policy states the facts on this." Bogo picked up a sheet of paper and read an excerpt from it. ‘It is the reasonability of this department to ensure it makes every reasonable effort to avoid assigning, regardless of species, all pregnant female officers to units in which work involves a high likelihood of suffering trauma.’ He laid the Mammal Resource policy back down on the desk. “You have to look at it from our end, Hopps. A mammal…such as you, having this rare and unusual pregnancy, the department does not want to..." Bogo had paused for a moment. "The department feels unwilling to accept responsibly in the unlikely event something was to happen." Nick, hearing of Judy’s reassignment later that day, in a move rarely seen, agreed paws down with Bogo on this decision. Judy naturally found it outright offensive, having to be split apart from Nick and put on light duty._

Maple, a recent new hire in an office of only three, had just been working in the department for about a year. She was assigned to assist Judy with settling in and keep her spirits up. Judy had found her at times almost essential during the long mundane hours. In only a matter of a week, after arriving at her new position, the pair quickly became very close friends.

“Fru Fru said that when she was pregnant with little Judy, this one spa helped with her sore muscles.” Judy, sliding a paw over her belly, looked down. “I can’t complain, but right now, these little monsters are starting to take a toll on me. Later, if we have time, she wants to treat us to someplace off Little Rodentia. A restaurant called Ratatouille's, if I heard her right."

Ben quickly raised his paws back to his face. “Oh, I know that place. I always wanted to try it,” Benjamin replied joyfully. “I wish they would cater more to large animals like me. I’ve heard they have this cheesecake that is simply to die for. As for a day at a spa, I can tell you, little Ms. Bunny, I wouldn’t mind one of those deep fur massages either, I mean…”

“Clawhauser! Where are those morning case files I asked for?” Chief Bogo's loud deep voice echoed along the inner walls of the atrium.

Benjamin, jolting from his chair stared at Bogo. "I’m so sorry, Chief; they’re all right here ready to go,” Benjamin replied, reaching down under his desk for the files. Resurfacing with four case files as Bogo arrived at his desk, he placed them down in front of him.

Bogo, his mouth agape as Judy stood by the desk, exhaled deeply. Looking back to the files, Bogo reached out and picked them up. He turned to face her again and rubbed the top of his forehead, just below his horns. "Hopps, what did I explicitly say to you, before you left us to go on maternity leave?” He pointed down to her. “Did I not say, I was not to see you anywhere in this building?”

Judy, hearing Bogo still call her by her maiden name, raised a paw to her forehead as she let out a deep sigh. After two years, since she had married Nick, she struggled to understand why Bogo still refused to call her Wilde. Struggling to think of the right words, she looked up and mumbled, “I just…we were discussing…” She looked over to Benjamin and then back at Bogo.

Bogo, taking a deep breath through his nose, silenced her as he rubbed his eyelids. “Hopps…I really could not begin to care at this moment.” He made his way toward morning muster.

Judy, realizing she had overstayed her welcome, looked up as Benjamin approached her. “I think I better go,” she said before giving Benjamin a light hug. She turned and waved goodbye. Before passing through the revolving door, she promised to call him later that evening. Judy then stepped through the door and out into the open grounds, taking a deep breath. Walking a short distance, down and along the walkway that led to the main city street, she stopped at a nearby bench along the path.

"Excuse me?" A soft, female voice spoke close to Judy after a few moments of silence.

"Mary, don’t do it; let’s just go." Another voice, this time a male, spoke from a distance. “It’s wrong.”

Judy, smiled as a brown ewe came to a stop next to her. "Can I help you with something?" Judy asked.

"I’m sorry, but I had to know. Aren’t you Officer Judith Wilde?" The ewe, named Mary, asked as a black ram stepped up next to her. “The famous police bunny.”

"Yes, ma'am I am, though I wouldn’t say famous," Judy replied happily. Her smile faltered at once as the ewe gave her a penetrating gaze. “Is there something wrong?”

"Well, I just wanted to let you know..." The ewe took a deep breath. "What you have done is an abomination to prey kind like us!" the ewe shouted at her. "Marrying a predator, and a fox no less, you and that Wilde— have you no respect for yourself?"

"Mary, that’s enough!” The black ram reached out to grab the ewe’s arm. "It is none of our business."

"No Shawn, it is our business, filthy creatures," Mary responded, her breathing heavy as she threw off his cloven paw from her. "It’s not natural Shawn, her and that fox! What must her family think, their own daughter doing this?"

Judy, standing from the bench, anger burning in her, looked back at Mary. "Ma'am, who I marry or what I do with my life is none of your concern. Show me where in the law it states that only prey can marry prey." A slight pain ran along the side of Judy, causing her to arch her back slightly. Pressing a paw along her side, Judy’s belly became noticeable through the shirt.

"Oh god…Shawn!" Mary shouted, pointing a finger back at Judy. She's pregnant. That...that fox she married, and she is going to—“

"What’s going on here?” Officer McHorn, his deep voice interrupting the ewe, appeared. “What’s with all the shouting?” The massive rhino turned to look at the ewe and ram and then turned to Judy. “Wilde, is everything all right?”

“Yes, McHorn, everything is fine.” Judy eyed the ewe. The ram, Shawn, started to steer her away. Judy bit her tongue as her mind raced with words she would love to shout back at the ewe. She smiled back at McHorn weakly, putting on a brave face as he turned up the path. Judy, lowering herself back down on the bench, took another deep breath. The ewe’s words echoed in her mind as she raised her paws to her face, the word _‘Abomination’_ repeating a few more times.

“Judy! Judy dear… over here,” a high, squeaky, female voice suddenly called out to her. Raising one of her ears up, turning to her left, she honestly smiled once again. Judy got to her feet as she waved to a tall, familiar polar bear. The polar bear, wearing a light grey jogging suit, continued to walk toward her, its left paw held open. Waving from its paw, the small female arctic shrew, Fru Fu, suddenly called out once again. “Oh my god…Judy, you look so amazing.”

Judy, no longer thinking of the rude ewe, and the words she had used on her, watched as the pair approached her. Smiling at Fru Fru, Judy raised her head up to the polar bear. “Morning Raymond. How are you?”

Raymond turned his head away. Breathing a heavy sigh, he lowered his eyes. “Oh, stop sulking Raymond, my god,” Fru Fru called out, looking up and catching Raymond’s eyes. “It wasn’t even that good of a game last night." Fru Fru gestured with her tiny paw. "Just let it go.” Turning back to Judy, Fru Fru let out a short sigh. “You would think the whole world had somehow come to a terrible end because of a stupid soccer game.” Fru Fru rolled her eyes. "Tundra United lost in the quarterfinals, against their rivals, Landers FC.”

“Morning, Judy.” Another familiar female voice suddenly called out from behind her.

Judy turned around and held her paws out in welcome, catching sight of her friend Maple. Maple, walking down the same path Judy had just taken moments before, embraced Judy. Maple, quickly noticing the look Raymond was giving her, let go of Judy and stepped back. “Maple, I’m so happy to see you. Were you at work?” Judy asked. There was a worried look on her friend’s face. Judy turned to Raymond suspiciously.

“Mr. Dewy needed a few files for a high-level meeting, so I came in early to pull them from the archive,” Maple replied. Turning toward the large polar bear, a little nervous, she looked over at Fru Fru. “Hi, you must be Fru Fru. Judy has told me all about you and how you two met.”

Judy suddenly turned her head around as her friends chatted away. She gazed around the nearby city street, the hairs on the back of her neck alerting her. Surrounded by her close friends, Judy had the unnerving sensation she was being watched.


	4. Plan of Attack

**Chapter 4**

“Greg, listen to me; that game wasn’t even close,” Nick commented as two fellow officers exited the room. Grinning as the pair walked up to him, Nick let out a cheerful laugh. "I even gave you good odds on it," Nick joked to his close friends Greg Wolford and Officer Delgato as they gave him a defeated look. As all three began to walk through the hall, Nick bumped Greg lightly on the shoulder. “You still owe me forty dollars, Greg. I told you it was a foolish bet. Didn't I tell him, Delgato?” Nick turned to look at Delgato as he lingered behind him and Greg. "You were there." They continued their discussion from earlier on the outcome of last night's ZBA basketball finals. "The Golden Monarch's choked Greg." Nick laughed. "They had the speed and muscle, but they couldn’t shoot for crap. That Ocean Side Knight's player; what's his name, LaMane? That lion was crushing everything!”

“Wilde!” The deep, familiar sound of Bogo erupted behind the group as Nick came to a sudden a halt.

Nick, his ears moving flat along his head, felt his body start to slouch at once. He swallowed hard as he forced himself to turn and look back through the hall. There, standing inside of the doorframe of the bullpen, Bogo stared directly at Nick. _“Crap!”_ Nick thought immediately.

“I want your tail in my office!” Chief Bogo called out, his thick hoof finger pointed straight at Nick. “Right now!”

Minutes later, peering out from an elevator, Nick, a sense of dread descended over him stepped out of the elevator. His nervousness at its peak, he stopped along a row of cubicles and offices that lead to Bogo's office. It was then when a familiar pantheress emerged from an office a few feet from him, he had an idea come to him. Ms. Veronica Knightly, the tall pantheress, noticing Nick's stare at her, narrowed her eyes. She closed the door to the office and shifted a few folders she had in her arm. With no desire to get side-tracked from her work, Veronica proceeded to walk away through the hall. Nick whipped his head back toward the elevator. _"Bogo will be arriving up here any moment. If I hurry maybe Veronica could…"_ Before he could finish his thought, he dashed off to catch up with Veronica. "Hey, Veronica, wait up!" Nick shouted. As Veronica turned a corner ahead of him, he knew he had only a few seconds.

Ms. Veronica Knightly was a new recent addition to the department. Chief Bogo had hired her personally. Handpicked from a group of qualified candidates, some of the officers in the department had found her cold personality nearly equivalent to that of Bogo. As she approached Bogo's office, she slowed her pace. Veronica addresses him in an emotionless tone, avoiding his gaze. "Sergeant Wilde. Is there something I can help you with?"

“Hey, Veronica…” Nick replied. “Wow…did you do something different with your fur today? It looks good on you!” Nick smiled back at her. Veronica, letting out a sigh, rolled her eyes at him as she brushed past him. As she walked over to Bogo’s door, Nick looked back down the empty hallway. Following her, he cleared his throat. “Listen, ah, you wouldn’t know by any chance, what might be up with the Bogo, do you, Veronica?”

Veronica entered the office without a word. Nick, following her inside, hunched down, and the tone of his voice changed. “Veronica, please, help me out here. You know everything that comes in and out of this office,” Nick spoke in a fast and lowered voice. “Ever since Judy went on maternity leave, I swear, that buffalo has had me in his crosshairs and...”

"Shut your face, Wilde, and sit your butt down!" Bogo snapped, appearing behind Nick. "Thank you, Veronica, you can leave those on my desk," he addressed Veronica as he passed her. Nodding back to Bogo before setting the folders down, Veronica turned to leave. As she gazed over at Nick one last time, expressionless, she closed the door behind her.

Nick turned back to Bogo. "That is one talkative assistant you’ve got there Chief…she is definitely a keeper for…"

“Shut it, Wilde!” Bogo barked as he took a seat behind his desk. “Sit!” Nick, his ears flat once again along his head took a seat without question. Bogo, reaching into his shirt pocket as he cleared his throat, withdrew his reading glasses. Opening a side drawer and taking out a single personnel file, he set it down in front of himself. “Wilde, I'm assigning you a temporary partner effective immediately. Until Hopps can return to full duty or until such time as I deem it necessary.” Bogo’s eyes moved from the file to Nick.

Nick, thinking this was some kind of joke, let out a short laugh. “Thanks, Chief, really, I am honored, but that will not be necessary.” Nick started to reply. “I think I can—“

“You are being assigned one of the rookies.” Bogo interrupted, not paying any attention to what Nick had said, as he opened the file. “Recruit Officer Joseph Hindquarter.”

 _“Hindquarter?”_ Nick started to think back almost a week before. He suddenly remembered Officer Higgins introducing a small group of recruits to everyone. “You mean the black striped aardwolf? Nick replied, as he focused his attention on the file in front of Bogo.

Bogo, not paying attention, reached over and pressed his intercom button. "Veronica will you have Recruit Officer Hindquarter report to my office immediately." Leaning back in his chair, Bogo placed both his hoofs in his lap as he gazed at Nick. Thinking of just how best to say what he needed to, he took a deep breath. "There is also something else I need to discuss with you before Hindquarter arrives." Bogo leaned forward and grabbed an open case file on his right before looking back at Nick. "Wilde, what do you still remember from…the Riverrun Case?"

Nick, hearing the name ‘Riverrun’ spoken, felt his whole body started to go numb. Without realizing what he was doing, Nick grabbed his left shoulder with his right paw. He closed his eyes and listened as a distant voice suddenly called out the word _‘Claw’_ multiple times.

**_Four years ago…_ **

One year after becoming a ZPD officer, Nick found himself once again embedded in a major city-wide crisis. Out of the ashes of former mayor Dawn Bellwether and her plan to destroy the peace between predators and preys, a new threat had emerged. The Night Howler drug. The plant, Midnicampum Holicithias, from which the drug is produced from, was banned from the city limits. Listed as a “Class A” level drug by government officials, it had removed from all floral businesses within Zootopia and its outlining towns. In its uses in agriculture, while still accessible, only authorized farms under the watchful eyes of regulators were allowed use it. But sadly, it wasn’t enough. Within a year, a new form of the Night Howler serum quickly began showing up.

Diluted and redeveloped, the drug began popping up in the back alleyways of the city. While the drug was no longer a major threat to the public, attacks were still happing from time to time. The main reason for this was the new make-up of the drug itself. Before, when exposed to the serum, the drug would cause the mammal to lose their higher reasoning functions. This, in turn, would cause the mammal, prey or predator, to lash out at anything. Now, in its newer form, effects of the drug would only be temporary, averaging from a few hours to a day, based on the size of the mammal. Altering the user, it would give the mammal using it excessive energy and awareness. Unable to rest or sleep, due to the abnormal increase, the effects would cause the mammal using it to become irregular. Fearing an attack by some unseen force, the prey or predator would lose their sense of reality. The result would often be the user harming themselves or others around them.

The ZPD’s Narcotics Unit, hearing of this new Night Howler drug, quickly set to work in finding and stopping its manufacturing. By after a year, the unit found itself still no closer in stopping the spread of the drug than it was before. One reason for this was due to the lack of cooperation with those arrested selling the drug on the streets. A form of fear or hold over them seemed to prevent them from talking to investigators. Following a failed undercover operation leading to the death of an officer, the top brass now stepped in. Taking over the investigation, for many within the unit moral had already started to fall. The department needed desperately for a lead in the investigation to appear. It would be almost three more months before such a lead surfaced.

Receiving new information from a reliable informant, the department was able to focus on a single group. It was only then the department determined the group was the primary source of the Night Howler drug. The low-key but dangerous criminal group, the group was shown to operate in an industrial sector of the city. The area, labeled as the Riverrun district, was the perfect location to keep a low profile. Sustainable evidence gathered on the so-called leaders of the group; the department was able to gain valued insight on the two head figures.

One of the leaders, a female arctic wolf by the named of Natalya Specknoff, was quickly found to be a very ferocious mammal. Raised in a high-class family, she spent the more significant part of her youth and early adulthood in and out of jail. Earning a reputation of inflicting pain and torture on those who had crossed her, she quickly made a name for herself in the criminal world. The second, a male hyena, going by the name Jaheem Sanders was less aggressive. Jaheem, having grown up in an orphanage, learned to hide his rage. Channeling it, it helped him a great deal as he killed his way up in many criminal groups over the years. Information on how two different individuals came together was never fully answered. Using falsified credentials, the pair was able to gain access to the city's Port Authority. Located in the Riverrun District of Zootopia, they quickly established a base of operations there. Blending in with the assortment of dock workers, their real identities and movement of drugs were well hidden.

During a closed-door meeting with City Council Members, Chief Bogo with other high ranking officers requested a task force be authorized to combat the drugs growing threat. Bogo, accepting responsibility for the task force, the request was granted. Senior Captain Chester Limbani was appointed by Bogo to lead the task force. An east african lion and twenty-year veteran on the force, he was well respected within the ranks of the ZPD. It was then Officer Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde was approached and agreed to join the task force. Their own prior experience in dealing with the first Night Howler drug had become legendary within the department. Limbani, knowing this about them, appointed both Hopps and Wilde as his leads within the group. Endorsed by Bogo, Limbani promoted the pair immediately to sergeant. As the task force set to work reevaluating all known information on the criminal group, a game plan was adopted.

Adopting a three pong attack, the task force set to work, putting pressure on the group and all its outlets. Judy and Nick, with the help of a few old contacts of Nick’s, set out in finding members of the group’s inner circle. In doing this, it helped create a broader picture of its inner workings. Four months later, a single arrest by the task force gave them a break they were looking for.

During one of the unit’s undercover operations, a male cheetah by the name of Drake Grounder was caught moving large quantities of the drugs raw material into the city. He was immediately booked on a level 1 felony drug procession, with intent to manufacture. The arrest brought about a much-needed lift for the unit. Information provided by a contact from Nick’s past told the task force that Drake had ample knowledge of the group’s inner workings. Wanting to capitalize on this new found information, Judy and Nick set to work getting Drake to cooperate with them in exchange for leniency. The charges Drake was facing were heavy.

_“Level 1 Felony Drug Possession: Carries a minimum sentence of 8 and/or a $5,000 fine, a maximum sentence of 32 years and/or $1 million fine and a mandatory period of parole of 3 years.”_

Only after being promised a lesser sentence of level 4 felony drug procession, with some time served, Drake finally agreed to cooperate. The agreement Drake agreed to, carefully constructed by the Prosecutors Office, would solely be based on the level of his information. This would involve him providing to the task force with the exact location of the drug manufacturing site and so-called ‘safe house.’ Adding greater incentives, if the information also leads to the arrest of both Natalya and Jaheem, time would be taken off.

As more and more information from Drake’s continued interrogations poured in, it became clear that shutting down the drug operation was going to be dangerous. While many of its inner group would most likely give only minor resistance the leaders, Natalya and Jaheem, would not. Establishing and secretly working in partnership with trusted Port Authority officials, the task force set to work. This was critical in that under city ordinances the ZPD had no primary authority within the Port Authority complex. For the task force, gaining access quietly and surveilling the areas pinpointed by Drake, it set in motion the means of bringing down the group.

Six months after the start of this partnership, tracking those within the group that were of high value, a tactical plan was drawn up. The plan’s success relied on the ability to take both locations at the same time. It was crucial since the task force had no idea which building Natalya and/or Jaheem would be in.

The assault was to be made by two separate teams of ten, each containing officers from the task force and 12 members from SWAT Team 4. For added security, the Port Authority was to secure all accesses in and out of the target area. When all parties were in position, the call sign would be given by Capt. Limbani in the mobile command center. Receiving the call sign, Team 1 would secure the manufacturing warehouse while Team 2 secured the safe house. Information gathered showed only two points of entry surprisingly limited both locations. Between the two target locations, unlike the safe house, the manufacturing location was a single level building. The safe house, by Drakes information, had an inner second floor housing a few offices that looked out on the warehouse floor.

Team 1, comprised of Officers McHorn as lead, Fangmeyer, Higgins and Delgato and six SWAT officers. Team 2, comprised of Officers Wilde as lead, Hopps, Wolford and Johnson and the other six SWAT officers. Officers Rhinowitz as lead, with Francine, Snarlof, Trunkaby, Grizzoi and Anderson would be spread along the perimeter assisting Port Authority security. Both assault teams were reminded of the primary goal to strike at the same moment and prevent anyone in the buildings from escaping. The call sign for a go was to be “Claw,” but if for some reason things did not look good, the call sign “River” would be given, aborting the assault.


	5. Claw, Claw, Claw

**Chapter 5**

_**Night of the assault…** _

"Alright everyone, the situation is still the same. So, let's go over everything one more time." Nick spoke as his team circled him. "Targets were last seen entering our building two hours ago. Keep your heads on a swivel. We still have no intel if there are weapons located inside. Assume there are, okay?" Nick looked at each member of his team. "Leo." Nick addressed Officer Johnson. "I want you and four SWAT officers on that front door. Judy, you and I, along with Greg, will take the last two through the side service entrance." Nick nervously turned to Judy. "Carrots, once inside, I want you, Greg and one of the officers to head upstairs. Clear each room, and then get back down. Is everyone clear on their role?"

"Yes." Everyone answered him back in turn.

"Alright then, check your weapon and gear. We're moving into position in five minutes." Nick replied. Five minutes later, each of the members of the group had moved into position. Nick pressed a small black button on his throat. "Team Two in position." He took a deep breath. Next to the side entrance door, he placed a small explosive charge above the door handle. "Breech charge set." Nick smiled as Judy adjusted the strap of her rifle. "Hey…hey, Carrots?"

"What, Nick?" Judy replied in a low voice, crouched next to the door.

"I just thought of something. What if we go with grey color suits for the groomsmen and lavender dresses for the bridesmaids?" Nick whispered to her as he handed a trigger switch over to Greg.

"What?" Judy, a look of confusion on her face, stared back at Nick.

"All I'm saying is that the colors would go great with the flowers you have already chosen with the Otterton's.

"Nick, are you serious? You're bringing up our wedding plans right now?" Judy stood up and looked nervously around then back at Nick. "This is not the time or the place to—"

"Also, if I were you, I would call Gideon Grey in Bunnyburrow sometime next week. If we want to use his services at the wedding, Carrots, we should give him a heads up to see if he can even do it." Nick smiled back at her.

"Knock it off, Nick!" Judy struggled to keep her voice down. "I told you, we are not—"

"All units, claw…claw…claw!" A voice spoke in the each of the team member's earpiece.

"Go!" Nick called back to Greg, shielding his eyes. The grey timber wolf, turning his head also, pressed the trigger switch. With a sudden sharp blast, the side entrance door swung inward as Nick lead the way inside. In the seconds that followed, as his team entered the warehouse, gunfire erupted in all directions. Nick, advancing inside, felt at once his left shoulder burst into pain as a bullet ripped through it. He immediately collapsed in front of the group, his eyes closing as his body contacted with the hard floor.

"Wilde's down! Wilde's down!" The voice of one of the SWAT officers that had entered next called out as he returned fire.

Nick opened his eyes, his ears ringing to the sound of gunfire, felt as he was drugged along the ground. His body no longer moving, he began to look around. One of the assisting officers hovered over him and checked Nick's wound. "Sargent Wilde, are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm good. Where are the others?" Nick replied to the officer as a sharp pain ran along his shoulder. He noticed blood coming from his shoulder. Nick reached over and pressed his other paw over it, shouting a few curse words. Thinking suddenly of Judy, he raised his paw to his neck, pressing his communication button. "Carrots!"

"Nick…Nick, oh god, are you alright?" Judy, in a terrified tone to her voice, answered back.

"Yeah, I'm fine Carrots." Nick replied, "Where are you?"

"We're at the stairwell. "Judy shouted back through the radio.

Nick and the other officer turned their heads at once in the direction of the stairwell. Catching sight of her, Nick watched as the small group began to take cover. Now under fire, Judy, Greg, and their officer struggled to make their climb up to the second floor. Nick gazed around the metal container he was using to support himself, trying to gauge where the gunfire was coming from. Tapping his officer on the shoulder, Nick pointed to spot across from them. "Over there, between the gaps of those crates! We need to put some suppressive fire down on whoever is over there!" Nick, dropping his rifle, drew his sidearm as he struggled to get up. "Give me your paw and help me up!" Nick rose off the ground, resting on one knee as his shoulder continued to bleed. He checked behind them, raised his gun and started to fire in the direction of the crates. It worked. Nick watched as Judy and her team made their way along the metal staircase. "We need to move, now!" he shouted back at the officer. "They know where we are now; move along this area." Nick pointed. "We need to try and link up with Johnson and his guys. Go!" The officer, turning back, acknowledged Nick's instructions and began to move forward. His head ducked low, Nick struggled to follow a few feet behind.

"Sargent Wilde!" The officer shouted back through his communications. "I have movement!"

"Where?" Nick replied, stopping alongside a crate to recheck his shoulder.

The officer dropped to a knee as he raised his weapon. A tall hyena moved into his line of sight, a small gap between two massive crates. "It's Jaheem! Sargent, target is moving on my 10." The office turned for a second to look back at Nick. Both he and Nick suddenly had to duck as bullets began striking the crates they hid behind.

"If you get a shot, take him down!" Nick shouted back.

"Sargent." The officer, raising his head, looked for any sight of Jaheem again. "He's gone; I've lost visual on the target." Not sure what to do next, the officer turned to face Nick. "Sargent Wilde, what –"

Nick's stomach lurched as he witnessed a bullet strike the officer in his head. Fear engulfing him instantly, Nick struggled to move as the dead officer's body fell to the floor next to him. "Damn it!" Nick shouted under his breath. Unable to determine his current location, he rushed down a line of planter tables toward a few oil barrels near one end of the building. "Leo?" Nick called out into his radio as he continued to look around.

"Nick? Where are you?" The welcoming voice of Leo replied in Nick's earpiece.

"West side of the building… I think. I'm behind some metal barrels." Nick replied as a bullet struck one of the barrels close to him from the top floor.

"Stay there; I'll come to you." Leo replied.

Minutes later, as Nick struggled to fire up at a second-floor window, he felt a paw clutch his shoulder. Nick, whipping his head around, saw as his friend Leo crutched down next to him. Nick, with a concerned look on his face, asked as he looked around, "Where are your guys?"

"Two are dead, one injured," Leo replied quickly. "It was as if they knew we were coming. Two of them didn't have a chance when they entered." He noticed Nick's shoulder. "Are you alright, Nick? Your shoulder looks like hell. There's blood everywhere."

"Yeah, I'm okay right now. One of my guys is dead too." Nick responded. "Leo, listen: Jaheem is around here somewhere." Nick, feeling his energy start to diminish, lowered himself to the floor.

"Jaheem?" Leo spoke, before turning back along the pathway he had just come from. "Come on; we need to move and get back to my other guy." Leo reached down and started to help Nick to his feet.

Nick, his vision starting to go out of focus, blinked as he was lifted off the ground. Over the top of one of the barrels, he noticed a shape move along one side. "Leo…on your—" Nick felt himself collapse onto the floor as the full weight of Leo collapsed next to him following multiple gunshots. His body coming to rest, he closed his eyes tight before opening them again, desperate to see clearly. What waited for him was utter horror. Leo's lifeless eyes peered back at him. Nick could simply do nothing but look back at his friend. "Leo…no, Leo!" Nick reached out to try and grab at his friend just within arm's length of himself. His vision beginning to swirl, Nick struggled hard to stay conscious. As the silhouette of the hyena, Jaheem, moved slowly up to him, Nick shut his eyes and opened them again to focus. Jaheem, moving slowly up where Nick laid, continued to smile maliciously at him.

Nick, struggling to breathe properly now, turned onto his back as he looked up at the hyena. His left paw hidden from Jaheem, Nick firmly grasped his reserve gun, now along the back of his belt. "I hope you're ready for what comes next?" Nick, his voice weak, spoke to Jaheem. "Murdering multiple officers –"

"You're a traitor to our kind, Wilde." Jaheem replied pointing his gun at Nick. "Yeah, I know your name. I've heard so much of your past life, Wilde, quite a lot in fact, these past few years." He took another step closer to Nick, nudging the body of Leo with his foot. "You were once highly respected back then in many of our circles. Now…look at you, about to die for them." Jaheem hesitated for a second. "What could have made you give it all up, like that? Tell me, Wilde, what was it?"

In a matter of seconds, a large flash exploded near the pair, followed by the sound of a female scream in the air. Nick noticed Jaheem hesitate as he turned to look toward the sound of the screaming. His reaction was instantaneous. Nick drew his gun from underneath himself and fired multiple times into Jaheem's chest. As the lifeless body of Jaheem fell to the floor, Nick struggled to remain conscious, "I meet a pair of lavender eyes; I just couldn't say no to them." He felt his gun slip out of his grip as he closed his eyes, the last of his strength gone. Unconscious, Nick's body laid there, next to his friend.

"Alright let's go, move damn it!" A voice shouted over Nick sometime later. "Get him out of here!"

Opening his eyelids slowly, Nick felt himself supported by some unseen force. The stretcher carrying him shook as it rolled over the uneven ground. Nick felt strange. Not knowing what was happening around him, Nick raised a paw up to his muzzle. He suddenly realized he couldn't move his head. Panic rising within him, he grabbed at the air mask now around his face as he mumbled, "What…where's…?"

"Nick, hey, buddy, you need to stay, still alright?" The voice of Greg Wolford spoke as Nick felt a warm paw grab on to him. "Higgins, I got Wilde, which ambulance?" Greg shouted over the sound of individuals talking and moving around them. "You almost had us worried for a minute. If we lost you, Judy would never forgive us."

Nick, his vision coming into focus, began to see the bright evening stars looking down on him. "Carrots?" Nick struggled to mumble as he swallowed. "Greg, where's Carrots?"

"Easy…easy, Nick. "Greg responded. "She's getting treated for her leg wound now in one of the ambulances."

"What!" Nick shouted, the straps holding him stretching a little as he struggled to get up. "Her leg…how did…? Greg, what the hell…ouch!" Nick shouted before realizing that his head was still immobile.

"Nick, relax. Judy is fine!" Greg shouted. "Just listen, alright? She got stabbed in the upper thigh by some wolf punk as we were clearing the upper floor. The EMTs said she would more than likely just need stitches and nothing else. You both can head to the hospital together to get treated, alright?"

Nick's mind struggled to remember and process everything that had happened. He continued to look up at the stars. "What about Natalya Specknoff? Did we get her, Greg?"

"Yeah, we got her, Nick," Greg responded. "We've also recovered the body of Jaheem and a pawful of others. Great job by the way, Nick."

"And Leo?" Nick asked mournfully, suddenly remembering his friend. "Is he…" He caught the look on Greg's face as he was rolled over to waiting ambulance.

* * *

"Wilde!" Bogo started to call out. "Wilde!"

Nick, looking up at Bogo, cleared his throat as his mind came back to the present. "Sorry, Chief, I lost…yes the Riverrun Case, I still remember some of it." Nick caught sight of a photo hanging on the wall to his right. Staring back at him was an old photo of Officer Leo Johnson and his wife with Bogo. "Natalya Specknoff and that associate of hers: Jaheem, wasn't it?"

"Wilde…" Bogo, glanced at the photo Nick was looking at and took off his reading glasses. "Wilde, I need you to look at me." Bogo took a long deep breath. "Natalya Specknoff is gone. Escaped from custody a week ago."

Nick's eyes widened. "What? How are we just learning about this now?"

Bogo picked up a case file in front of him and leaned across his desk, handing it over to Nick. "It appears someone had ordered Specknoff to be transferred to the new high-level facility, up in the northern district. Sometime during the transfer, she was able to escape and has since vanished," Bogo explained. "The vehicle transporting her was found only a few miles away from their destination. The two marshals escorting her were found dead alongside the vehicle. Both restrained and severely clawed. One of the two had their throat ripped open." Bogo paused for a moment, as he watched Nick examine the photos from the crime scene. "It appears Specknoff was helped in her escape from custody. The vehicle showed signs of being rammed."

Nick, closed the file and laid it back down on Bogo's desk. Bogo, still looking at Nick cleared his throat. "That's not all. The warden at the detention center called me yesterday. It seems during their investigation, both yours and Hopps' names were brought up. It appears Natalya has been fixating on the pair of you for some time. Her cellmate told the warden that she holds you two responsible." Grabbing the file back, Bogo carried on. "We, at the department, are of the opinion she will try and come after the pair of you. So, because of that, I am assigning Hindquarter to you. Is that understood?"

"So, let me get this straight, Chief. You're giving me a rookie to ensure my safety. Is that it?" Nick stared back at Bogo, a look of complete shock across his face. "None of those guys have the slightest idea of what that wolf is capable of out there!" Nick raised a paw at the closed door."

"Wilde, look deep into my eyes and tell me if I look like I give a damn?" Bogo snapped back. "I do not want you out there on the streets alone and exposed. You need someone watching your back."

"Yeah but…why not someone more experienced, like McHorn, or Higgins, Wolford even?" Nick replied, his chest expanding rapidly. "Why can't one of them be—"

"Because I need them for other matters; that's why, Wilde!" Bogo shouted, hitting his fist hard on the desk as he stood up. Bogo lowered his head as took another deep breath. "Widle…" Bogo moved around his desk. Standing in front of him, Bogo leaned up against the front of his desk and stared at Nick. "I lost one of my finest and most dedicated officers that day, capturing Natalya. Officer Johnson's whole life was being a part of this department. I don't want to lose two more of my finest to that creature." Placing his hoof fingers on Nick's shoulder, he looked deep into Nick's eyes. "Keep your eyes open and alert at all times."

Nick looked down at his lap as he took a deep breath, "How am I going to explain all this to Judy? What should I tell her, Chief?"

"The truth, Wilde. Tell her everything." Bogo replied. "She needs to know. Trust me, if there is one thing I know about that bunny is that she…" A sudden knock on the door interrupted the two of them. "Yes?" Chief Bogo called out in a loud voice as he and Nick looked over at his office door. Nick, watching the office door open, thought, " _here we go,_ " as the rookie aardwolf's face appeared through the gap.

"Recruit Officer Hindquarter, reporting as ordered, Chief," A young uniformed aardwolf spoke, shaking with utter fear as he glanced inside the office.

* * *

**A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please take a moment and leave a quick comment and let me know your thoughts.**


	6. I saw...

**Chapter 6**

Two weeks after the news about Natalya Specknoff’s murderous escape reached the public, the ZPD was at a loss on how to find her. With no recent sightings of her since the escape, many within the department and other agencies had become concerned. Nick and Joseph Hindquarter were both reassigned to a newly formed, multi-agency task force. One of its primary responsibilities was to aid in the recapture of Natalya Specknoff. In a recent tipoff to the task force, both Nick and Joseph had been ordered to check out a location somewhere in the Tundra District. An anonymous caller had provided them with a promising area, where Natalya had been known to frequent, two days earlier. Fearful of Natalya possibly going after Judy, who was still on maternity leave and vulnerable, Nick had Bogo’s assurance in her safety. In the hours Nick was on duty, an officer would be assigned to their building for added security. At the moment, during the late afternoon, it was Officer McHorn’s turn. Taking over the watch from a new ewe officer by the name of Dorothy Herding, McHorn made Judy feel a little safer with his presence by allowing her to rest for a while.

Early that evening, lying across the couch inside their apartment, Judy stirred as she opened an eyelid. She stretched one of her legs out and yawned as she clutched her pillow tighter with one of her paws, and shifted her head. Judy glanced around the room as sunlight bathed it in a warm glow. She knew she had to get up and eat. Rubbing her eyes as she rose from the couch, she reached out for her bathrobe next to her. Slipping the robe over her, she suddenly felt the need to use the bathroom. Judy sighed as she rubbed her belly, “You two are really starting to kill mommy’s bladder, in there,” Judy spoke playfully as she made her way to the guest bathroom. “I hope you’re both happy because mommy isn’t.”

A few minutes later, as she stepped out of the bathroom, Judy found the door to the nursery was open a little. Peering through, she opened the door. She smiled as she looked up at the nursery's new autumn yellow paint on the walls. Noticing two fox-size kit cribs at one end of the small room, she breathed a sigh of relief. "He finished them. So that’s what he was doing in here this morning." Judy continued to stare at the cribs, divided by a small, cherry changing table. Judy grabbed one of the crib’s rails and massaged the smooth, waxed, wood frame. Moving to her left, she approached a small, padded rocking chair nestled near the cribs and lowered herself, in it. As she began to rock the chair slowly, she held a paw on her stomach. “I think we're almost ready for the big day, are you guys?” She patted her stomach lightly as she glanced around the room.

_Slam!_

“Nick?” Judy called out in surprise. “I'm in the nursery." She lifted herself up out of the chair. "You’re home early. You said you wouldn't be getting off until later this evening." The nursery door, still ajar, slammed closed.

Judy, still holding on to the rocker, jumped as she stared back at the door, her eyes widening. Letting go of the rocker slowly, her heart rate increasing, she approached the door. Grasping its handle, Judy slowly pressed down on the latch and opened it. She raised her ears and listened for any sounds from within the apartment. She felt an eerie, familiar cold descend upon the now unnaturally low-lit apartment. As she gazed down the short hallway, Judy’s whole body began to shake. Unable to see clearly through the low light, she whipped her head over her shoulder to look inside their bedroom. Not knowing what to do next, she simply stood there, clutching the top of her robe. Hearing a slight jingle, as if made by keys, Judy turned back toward the living room.

“Hello…is someone there?” Judy called out. “Nick?” She walked through the short hallway, her nose twitching, as she looked into the room. Her ears still raised, she listened for movement around her. Only then she noticed a figure lying in the middle of the room. Judy stumbled back against the wall as sheer panic engulfed her. Covered in blood, its clothes ripped, was the outline of a fox’s body crumbled on the floor. She let out a horrified scream as she rushed over to the body, “Nick!”

Tears falling down her face, Judy fell to the floor and wrapped Nick in her arms. “No…oh god…no, Nick! Nick…please, stay with me!” she cried out desperately. Nick struggled to breathe, deep claw marks showing on his face and chest. He looked at her with his green eyes as, with one last breath, his body went limp. Cradling Nick’s head against hers, Judy let out another violent scream as she held him in her arms.

“You cannot stop… what is in motion.” An eerie voice spoke suddenly.

Judy, her face covered with tears, noticed a dark shape move along the side of the room. The inside of her became cold. The dark figure she had seen numerous times before, once again appeared. It advanced toward her with its hood pulled down over its shapeless face. Its rotting paws held out; it reached for Nick’s body. Lowering herself over Nick, Judy attempted to protect his body as she pleaded, “No…please!” Judy looked back at Nick, only to have the air in her seem to vanish. Struggling to breathe, she let go of the body in her arms. Nick’s body was now no longer there. The bloody body of Nick’s mother, Marie, lay cradled in Judy’s lap. Judy, raising her bloody paws, could do nothing but stare down at her mother-in-law’s body as she screamed.

_Bang…Bang…Bang!_

“Judy! Judy, are you alright!” Officer McHorn voice shouted from outside the apartment door. “Judy!” McHorn shouted as screams came through the door. “It’s McHorn…can you hear me?” Not willing to wait a second longer, the massive rhino took a step back before ramming the door.

_Boom!_

McHorn entered the apartment and gazed hastily around the room. His gun drawn, his attention was brought to the floor next to the couch. Judy, rolling on the floor, her eyes closed as she clutched her belly, continued to cry out in fear. “Judy!” Without thinking, holstering his weapon, he rushed over to her. Judy, jerked awake as she opened her eyes to the familiar, massive face of McHorn, began to hyperventilate. Mchorn, lifting her gently off the floor in his massive hands, cradled her as he placed her carefully back on the couch. Adjusting her rear legs beneath her, she curled up aside one of the couch arms, ashamed to have been seen in such a manner.

“Dispatch, this is Officer McHorn, requesting 10-78 to my location and possible 52, plus one, needed,” McHorn called into his radio, requesting support and medical. He moved through the apartment quickly, doing a quick search of the residence.

“Copy that, any available units, 10-61, officer requesting 10-78, 17 Cherry Tree Lane,” the voice of Benjamin Clawhauser called out over the radio, his tone of seeming uneasiness echoing through it.

“Judy, are you alright? Is it the kits?” Mchorn asked, worried as he watched her grab and twist her ears in her paws, her whole body shaking. For the next ten minutes, Judy struggled to find her voice once again as her breathing became steadier.

“I saw her…she was in my arms!” Judy babbled. “At first…it was Nick…but then somehow Marie was there, and…and the figure told me.” Judy stopped talking as the eerie voice entered her mind again. “It said something was already in motion.” The sounds of sirens converged outside of the apartment building. Within minutes, fire and medical mammals entered through the broken door.

“Carrots!” Nick’s shouts were heard minutes later, as the sound of paws where heard racing down the apartment’s passageway. As Nick entered he quickly spotted Judy on the couch. A skunk EMT had just finished checking her heart rate as Nick embraced her. "I was coming back from Tundratown when I heard the call over the radio." Judy seemed to melt in his arms. Nick, running his paws along her back, began rocking her gently in his arms as they sat on the couch.

“The figure I keep seeing in my dreams.” Judy started to speak. “It said… I could not stop what…” Judy gasped, unable to breathe correctly.

Nick, letting go of her, his face showing confusion, turned to McHorn then back to Judy.

“I think she was having some kind of nightmare,” McHorn spoke, his eyes still fixed on Judy. He turned to Nick. “I heard her scream something, as if to someone from the cruiser outside. Fearing the worst, I immediately rushed up. When I broke the door down, all I saw was her over here…” McHorn pointed to the front of the couch. “…clutching her stomach. She must have fallen on the floor. I rushed over and placed her back on the couch before calling for assistance.” He looked at Judy. “I did a quick search of the apartment; no one else was inside.”

“Judy…Judy, look at me please.” Nick knelt down next to the couch, clutching her soft grey cheeks in his paws. His green eyes looking into her lavender ones, she didn’t even try to look away. “I’m here, Carrots. You’re safe; no one is going to take our kits away from us. I won’t let that happen.”

“Sargent Wilde,” a uniformed ewe called out in a squeaky voice. She hesitated at Nick kneeling down to Judy before walking over to the pair. “The building is secured. No signs of any forced entry to it or the apartment, other than the one made by Officer McHorn.” The ewe looked at McHorn.

Nick, kissing Judy softly on her nose, smiled at her before standing back up. “Thanks, Dorothy, call it in. Clawhauser will be worried to death.” Nick replied, walking towards her before Judy giggled behind him. Judy took another deep breath and wiped her cheeks with her paw. When his cell phone rang inside the side pocket of his pants, Nick reached down to retrieve it. Glancing at the screen, he took a deep breath when the word "Mom" appeared. He quickly raised it to his ear. “Hi Mom, I’m sorry, but can you call me back in a few—“

“Hello, Nicholas.” An unexpected female voice spoke, interrupting him. “It’s been so long since I last spoke to you.” She laughed.

Nick doubled-checked the caller ID and raised the phone back to his ear. “Who is this?” He took a step toward Judy. Concern sparked in his mind as his heart rate started to rise. “Who is this, and how are you calling me with this number?” he asked, watching Hindquarter enter the apartment and stand next to McHorn.

“Oh, you don’t recognize an old friend’s voice.” She laughed. “I would have thought you, out of a pawful of mammals, would remember the sound of my voice.”

“Natalya!” Nick replied slowly, fear echoing in his voice. Snapping his fingers at both McHorn and Hindquarter, he switched the phone to speaker mode.

“There you go,” Natalya replied. “You had me worried there for a second. I almost thought you had forgotten the sound of my voice.”

Judy, stood up from the couch, gazing at Nick. “Nick, your mother, I saw her… your mother… in my dream.” Judy raised her paws to her face.

“Officer Hopps, are you there also? Oh yes…forgive me, I keep forgetting its Wilde now.” Natalya continued. “I am so sorry I wasn’t able to make it to the wedding. I was otherwise detained.” Natalya laughed. “It is still nice to hear your voice again too.”

“Where is my mother, you sick, twisted—“ Nick yelled into the phone.

“Temper, temper, Nicholas.” Natalya interrupted him with another laugh.

“Where is she?” Nick yelled.

“Oh, Marie, yes, she’s right here, Nicholas. We have been having such a friendly chat, you could say, female to female,” Natalya said playfully. “Oh, I wish I had had a mother such as loving as yours. My mother, you could say, never saw me much more than a burden. But I still loved her, wishing for her love in return.” Natalya’s voice dropped slightly. “I was unfortunately not able to be there by her side when she passed last year.”

Nick, hitting the mute button on his phone, turned to everyone in the room. “How did she find my mother?” As he said this, Nick turned to look at Judy. “Oh god…Judy! If she found my mother, then your family can be…” Nick quickly thought of Judy’s siblings, Bonnie and Stu at the farm. “Judy, where is your phone? Call your parents, now! Joseph, go with her.” Judy, moving as fast as she could, disappeared into their bedroom.

Nick pressed the mute button again. “Where… is… my… mother?”

“I told you, Nicholas, she is right here with me,” Natalya replied again.

His mother’s voice, low and gasping was suddenly heard in the background. “Nicholas, please don’t…it’s too—“

“Mom!” Nick yelled, his heart sinking at the sound of his mother’s voice.

“There it is," Natalya spoke calmly, as she laughed and talked over Marie’s cries. “Oh, you don’t know how I’ve craved to hear that sound, Nicholas — when you realize you were not able to protect one of the two mammals you love most dear in this world.” Natalya continued to laugh gleefully before suddenly becoming serious. “You took from me someone I loved more than anything, years ago. So, I will take one of yours, Nicholas.” The phone immediately went dead as Nick stood there in the room, his heart still racing.

Judy returned from the bedroom a few minutes later, clutching her phone in her paw, and looked over at Nick. “Nick, my parents said everyone is accounted for and safe, they—“ Judy noticed the look on Nick’s face as he turned to her. The details of the dream returned to her, as she looked back at Nick. "Oh god…Marie! She not—“ Her phone slipped from her paw and hit the floor, cracking the screen.


	7. Failed to Protect

Chapter 7

"We need to go now, right now! McHorn, stay here with Judy, keep her safe till I get back. Hindquarter, get your tail down to the cruiser, go!" Nick turned to Judy and embraced her, whispering something in her ear. McHorn's massive paw touched Judy's shoulder as she burst into tears as Nick left. Sprinting out of the apartment building, Nick made his way through the fire and medical personnel. Hindquarter, ready and waiting, threw the car into reverse as Nick jumped in. "Dispatch, unit 359, 10-31 at location 8-6-7 Tod Avenue, Meadowlands. Requesting 10-78!"

"Meadowlands?" Benjamin replied, sounding confused over the radio. "8-6-7 Tod Avenue?" As the cheetah stood up at his desk, he hesitated for a moment as he held a chubby paw finger over the desk microphone. He struggled to not look over at the massive form of Bogo, next to him. Benjamin pressed down on the button before shakily saying, "Nick… I mean unit 359—"

"Ben!" Nick yelled back again through the radio. "It's Natalya Specknoff. She just called me from my mom's phone. She's at my mom's house!"

"Wilde! Switch to a secure channel, now. Anyone could be listening!" Bogo shouted into the radio as he snatched the microphone from Clawhauser. "All mobile units, this is Chief Bogo. Switch to secure channel 5." Bogo waited for a few seconds before he too switched channels. "All units: I want all roads in and out of this city locked down. Suspect Natalya Specknoff may be heading back our way. Notify all districts. Lethal force is authorized if called upon."

Bogo turned in a circle around the atrium. In a deep voice, he shouted at the officers standing in the vicinity. "I want all of your tails out there on those streets, now! Clawhauser, first things first. Get me McHorn's cell phone number from your database. Then get on the phone to Meadowlands." Bogo looked at him. "Tell them what's happening. Have them proceed with extreme caution to 867 Tod Avenue. Natalya Specknoff may be armed and is extremely dangerous." Minutes later, after taking a slip of paper from Clawhauser, Bogo dialed the number using his cell phone. "McHorn, this is Bogo, I want you to bring Judy with you and come and get me," Bogo spoke as he walked out the front door.

As Hindquarter pushed their speed, Nick quietly gazed out at the passing world, lost in his mind. _"You took someone from me whom I loved more than anything…I now take one of yours."_ Nick kept reciting Natalya's words over and over in his head.

"Nick!" Clawhauser babbled through radio, his voice sounding worried. "Nick, I only have a second then I have to get off the channel. Meadowland Police reported they just arrived on the scene now. No signs of Natalya."

Nick grabbed the radio from the dashboard. "Is my mom alright?" he shouted. After no reply, Nick shouted back into it, "Ben?"

_**One Hour Later…** _

As Hindquarter brought the cruiser to a grinding halt along the dirt road that made up Tod Avenue, Nick immediately jumped out. Joseph, getting out of the cruiser, looked out in amazement at the scene taking place before both of them. Countless vehicles and police officers surrounded Nick's childhood home. Without thinking, Nick started to run along the dirt road. Despite the commands to stop, given by officers he passed, Nick kept on going. It didn't take long before Nick's path, near the front of the house, was blocked by a group of Meadowland officers. "Move, this is my mother's house. I have to—" Nick shouted.

"I'm sorry Sergeant, but we can't let you go any further, I'm sorry," A tall, middle-aged lion said, his left paw held out in front of him.

"You don't understand; I need to get in there!" Nick shouted back at the lion as someone grabbed his arm. "Get your paws off of me!" Nick yelled to one of the officers behind him. Struggling with multiple officers around him, forcing him back from the house, he shouted over them, "Mom!" Breaking free from one the officers grip, his fangs bared, he began to push forward again for the front porch. It would be the tall lion officer from before that would finally stop Nick in his tracks. Running up behind Nick, the lion wrapped his forearms around Nick's chest, slamming him to the ground. Hindquarter, seeing this, rushed to Nick's aide. After throwing a short dark brown rabbit officer off of Nick's feet, Joseph began to struggle with a gray wolf on the ground. He soon found himself swarmed by other officers, several of them drawing their stun guns. Getting to his feet, he raised his paws and took a few steps back. After that, Hindquarter could do nothing but watch in vain as Nick continued to struggle on the ground.

"Sergeant, calm down and listen to me. We are under strict orders." the lion shouted in Nick's ear, as he held him down. "We cannot let you enter the house. It is an open crime scene. You know this."

"Where is she?" Nick yelled, his voice cracking as he turned his head back toward the lion. "My mom, is she alright?"

There was a short pause before the lion's voice softened, "I'm sorry, Sergeant. By the time we got here, she was already—" The lion eased his grip on Nick

"No!" Nick screamed. Breaking free of the lion's slacking grip, he scrambled to his feet. Once again, as Nick reached the front steps of the porch, three more officers restrained him: an elk and two wolves. Each of them reacted quickly as they intercepted Nick, threw him to the ground. As he screamed in pain, still yelling for his mother, Nick hit the ground hard. The elk officer, struggling to shackle Nick's wrists behind his back, resorted to using excessive force. Grabbing Nick's wrist, the officer struck him hard behind his left ear. Only after pressing his knee hard along the back of Nick's neck, the officer was able to restrain him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Bogo shouted as he and a small group of mammals arrived at the shocking scene surrounding Nick. Judy and Mchorn appeared behind him. Bogo squinted at the officers and held back Judy as she tried to make a rush for Nick. "Who do you think you are, treating a fellow officer like that? Bogo pointed at the elk still holding down Nick, "Get off him immediately." The elk officer scrambled to his feet and stepped away from Nick. After gazing at Nick for a moment, Bogo looked at the officer again. "Get those cuffs off of him," Bogo spoke hatefully in a low voice. He didn't move a muscle as he watched the elk remove the cuffs. As the elk moved toward his two fellow officers, Bogo spoke again, this time to all three of them. "All of you get out of my sight, or I swear I will kick each one of your stinking tails from here to Savannah Central."

Judy broke free from Bogo and fell to her knees beside Nick. Nick bared his fangs and snapped at her, forcing her to the ground.

"Nick!" Judy gasped as she extended a shaking paw. She placed her paw on the back of his head, softly caressing Nick's face. "Nick...please." She struggled to speak, listening as he hyperventilated. Shifting her weight ever so slightly, Judy moved in front of Nick. "Nick, please, look at me." She pressed the side of her face against him, brushing along his cheek. Simultaneously, she rubbed his right ear gingerly. Judy, her head under Nick jawline, pressed against his chest; his heart beat rapidly. Nick's wall of stoicism shattered. Nick melted into Judy's arms. As he cried out in pain, he lowered his head onto her lap and curled his body up to her. Nick's body shivered as she brushed the side of his face.

"Stay with them," Bogo turned and looked back at McHorn, nodding toward Nick and Judy, as he approached the house. "Who's in charge here?" Bogo yelled as he climbed the porch steps.

"I am. You must be Chief Bogo," an aged white and black badger replied as he stepped through the front screen door. "I'm Sheriff Grazer." The badger extended a paw out to Bogo.

Accepting it, Bogo turned his head away from Grazer. "What kind of officers do you allow to work for you?" Bogo asked looking back at the elk officer he'd threatened. "What's the situation here?" Bogo said, taking a deep breath.

"Not good, Chief," Grazer replied before spotting Nick lying on the ground, supported by Judy. "You better follow me inside, but I have to warn you, what we found is not for the faint-hearted." Grazer turned and stepped back into the house. "Right through here, Chief."

After Bogo entered, he turned to his immediate left and entered what seemed a modest dining room. Motioned over by Sheriff Grazer, he walked over to where an overturned chair lay along one side of the room. He glanced over at a body covered with a sheet, a short distance away, as he approached. He looked at the turned over chair and then the body. "Is this where your officers found the body?" Bogo asked, his attention returning to Sheriff Grazer. "Is she the only victim in the house?"

"Yes, Chief, Mrs. Marie Wilde. She has been living here for some time now from what I've learned. But I think the body had been moved before we arrived. Based on the blood drag marks over here and pooling." Grazer pointed along the floor as he pulled a notebook from his shirt pocket. "It's possible the victim was still alive before we arrived. Or someone else moved her from chair to this location. I have my guys right now searching around the outside of the house for any evidence. I just finished talking with one of the neighbors from down the way before you guys showed up." Grazer scanned his notebook. "Her closest neighbor, an elderly whitetail couple called the Keens, told me the victim's husband has been dead for some time now. They were close to the victim it appears. Her husband had died in Zootopia as a result of an explosion or something, back when their kit, ah…" Grazer read his notes. "… Nicholas was still a young kit..." The sheriff flipped a page in his notebook. "The two of them, mother and son, uprooted and left for the city immediately after. Mr. Keen said the victim never sold the house when she left. When I asked why they both told me the land the house sits on has been in the Wilde family since before the Mal-Confederation, it seems." Sheriff Grazer turned another page. "Mrs. Keen said around twenty years ago Mrs. Wilde moved back here without her kit. No idea what happened to him or how she managed to support herself financially." He flipped over another page. "It also seems, by what Mrs. Keen had said, that Mrs. Wilde was planning a trip to Bunnyburrow in the coming days. Said she was going to be staying with her son's in-laws for a few weeks at their farm. Asked if they would not mind watching the house while she was away. No one else was in the house when we arrived."

"Did the neighbors see or hear anything?" Bogo asked as he looked down at the body.

"No, the Keen's house is further down along the road, near the dead end, but another neighbor did mention something. A Mr. Digger told one of my officers he recalled seeing an unfamiliar blue car drive back and forth a few times earlier this evening. Said the car was not a regular on this road. Not many mammals drive this far out from town, you see, unless they live or know someone in these parts. He didn't catch the entire license plate, but he thinks the first three characters were 1-J-0. " Sheriff Graze closed his notebook. "He can't be sure."

Bogo lowered himself next to the covered body and leaned over the sheet before taking a deep breath. His stomach seemed to tightened as he removed the sheet fully, examining the body. The mangled and seminude remains of an elderly vixen lay sprawled out on the floor. "What kind of civilized mammal would do this to someone?" Bogo asked Sheriff Grazer. He looked at the front paws of the vixen's body. The marks along her wrists seemed to tell him that she had struggled to break free while she was still alive. He covered the body with the sheet and took another long, deep breath before standing. "Will you see to it that our department gets copies of the report and all the photos from here? If you need any extra support, our crime lab in Zootopia will be at your disposal, ready to assist."

"Roger that, Chief," Grazer replied. "Do any of your people know who may have done this?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. The individual is a wanted female Arctic wolf. She called the victim's son, Sergeant Wilde, from this residence a little more than an hour ago, telling him what she was going to do." Bogo looked down at the body one last time before he headed back to the front door. Walking outside, he carefully collected his thoughts as he walked over to Nick and Judy. "Wilde, I'm putting you on paid administrative leave, effective immediately until further notice." He looked over at Judy and cleared his throat. "Judy, I'm…I'm going to have Hindquarter take you both back home. I want him to stay there with the two of you for the rest of the night, to be safe." Shifting his gaze to Nick, Bogo fought to hold back a few tears. "Do whatever you can for him, Hopps. Don't leave him alone."

"Thank you, Chief," Judy replied as Bogo turned and approached Hindquarter and McHorn. Several crime scene technicians passed by her and Nick as she looked over at the front door of the house. Lowering her head again, she kissed the back of Nick's ear as she comforted him.

_**Six Days Later…** _

As rain drizzled on his head, Nick stood, as if made of granite, next to an old dogwood tree. Dressed in a simple black suit, he watched as two groundhog groundkeepers approached him. One of them nodded in respect as he slowly began to turn a crank lever along the ground. The remains of his mother Marie, lying under a dark canopy, began to descend into an open grave. Nick, entering the tent, his suit completely drenched, stopped next to the grave. His mother's body wrapped in white, embroidered silk, came to rest on the bottom. Nick, had personally placed a white lace shroud over his mother's head during the ceremony, kissing her forehead one last time. As he looked down at his mother's body, he reached down and picked up a pawful of dirt. Throwing it into the grave, he struggled to control his emotions. "I'm sorry mom. I failed you and the family." Nick mumbled.

"Nick...we should go now," Judy said tactfully. "Everyone will be waiting for us back at the hall for the after-gathering." Judy was dressed in a simple, knee-length, black dress. She lowered a small open umbrella to the ground as she slid a paw around Nick's arm. She looked up at him. "Mom and Dad wanted me to tell you they're sorry that they wouldn't be able to stay for the after-gathering. They needed to catch the train back to Bunnyburrow. They said the service was wonderful."

"I failed her." Nick struggled to speak; his shoulders hung low. "I failed to protect her." Nick turned to look at Judy, tears falling from his face.

"What?" Judy raised her left eyebrow in confusion.

"I failed to protect her from harm, Judy." Nick faced his mother's open grave. "After…my father's…death—" Nick stopped for a moment, still crying. "I became the family alpha, the last male Wilde left. My mother, had me swear the family oath before her. I was entrusted with her charge and upholding the family's honor." Nick closed his eyes. "I was only a kit, Judy, too young and unprepared to fully understand what it truly meant." Nick opened his eyes. "Right before I ran away when I was twelve, I told her I didn't care about the family's honor. After what those junior scouts did to me, I knew then our honor meant nothing to the world. Then I meet you, and you showed me how wrong I had been." He looked at her. "You helped both of us reconnect after all those years apart. The year before we were married, when we spent the weekend at Mom's house, I promised her I would never again fail the family."

"I still remember that weekend," Judy replied. "Your mother was so happy for us. It was just a few days after you had proposed to me." Judy blinked. "Our last night there, she had you renew your family oath. Marie had recited it to me earlier that day, when I had asked about it. How did it go again? Upon my life, I swear…" Judy noticed Nick's face turn away from her and look back at the grave, his body shook.

"I should be the one down there, not her, Judy. I let a monster get to my family." Nick's legs collapsed beneath him. "I just couldn't save…" Nick began to cry out.

Nick, please…please look at me." Judy suddenly took his head in her paws. "You…did not kill her. No one would have known Natalya would do something like this." Judy looked deep into his eyes. "Her death was in no way your fault." She turned and looked down at Marie's body. "She loved you, Nick. You gave her so much happiness these last few years. After all your years apart, you made her proud of the fox you became." She took one of his paws and placed it over her belly before covering it with hers. "You still have a family to protect Nick, right here."

Nick felt along the soft fabric of Judy's dress. He pressed his face against her and remained there for a few moments, hugging her. Nick started to get up from the ground. Leaning in to kiss Judy, he heard her speak as he brushed her cheek.

"Swear it to me," Judy spoke into his ear. "Your family oath, Nick," She took a step back from him, stepping out into the rain. The look in her eyes immobilized him as she took his paw once again and placed it back over her stomach. Judy continued to look into his emerald eyes. "Swear it right now, to me and our kits." As she stood in the rain, her dress becoming saturated, she pleaded to him in a low voice, "Please Nick."

Nick, hesitating, wiped a few lingering tears from his face. He gazed down at Judy's paw that still held his and felt movement along it. Stepping out into the rain with her, Nick lowered himself again on the rain-soaked ground. As he knelt before her, bowing his head and resting it on her paw, he asked her, "Could you help me with some of the words?" He looked up and gave her a quick glance.

Judy smiled back and nodded before raising her head up into the rainy sky, closing her eyes. As the raindrops continued to fall on her face, she whispered under her breathe, "Watch over him, Marie."

Lowering her head down, Judy listened as Nick, in a firm voice, said, "By the customs and the rights of the skulk, I enact this oath. As it has throughout time, so shall it be, now and forever; Wilde's prevail." Judy, assisting Nick with his family oath, listened as he spoke the words after her. "Through honor and guardianship, I, Nicholas P. Wilde, son of James Wilde, swear upon my life…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone. If you are enjoying the story, please take a moment and leave a quick comment and let me know your thoughts on the new chapter.


	8. Where is she?

**Chapter 8**

**_Two weeks later…_ **

Her vision clouded as if by a thick fog, Judy stirred as she blinked rapidly to try to see clearly. She regained consciousness and shivered as a cold breeze brushed along her body. Unsure where she was or how long she had been unconscious, she raised herself slightly off the floor and glanced around. “Hello,” She shouted, her voice echoing. “Nick…mom?” Judy yelled. She realized neither of them was with her. She raised a paw to her head and felt what seemed to be dry blood in her fur, just above her left brow. As she glanced out around herself, an eerie memory emerged. _“Something is familiar about the interior of the building,”_ she thought. A sharp pain suddenly raced through her. The shock ending as quickly as it started, Judy closed her eyes and reopened them as she let out a short gasped.

"Well…well, the little bunny finally decided to wake up." A cold female laugh echoed through the seemingly empty building.

"Who’s there? Show yourself,” Judy shouted to the seemingly empty warehouse. As she looked over her shoulder, another sharp pain erupted. She placed a paw over her belly, crying out. As the pain left her one again, she breathed a few short heavy breaths.

"Poor Officer Hopps… sorry, I mean Wilde; forgive me. I keep forgetting; you're not called that these days." The cold voice spoke again. "It seems like forever since we last were face to face." Natalya’s tall, white, narrow frame emerged from the shadows. "And soon to be a mother, I see. My, my, you and Nicholas have been busy." She let out her cold laugh again as she circled Judy.

"Where is Nick?" Judy struggled to speak, still breathing hard. "What have you done with my mother?"

Natalya stopped in front of Judy and smiled maliciously at her. She slowly brushed Judy’s face with her finger. "You’re not in any position to ask anything, little bunny."

Judy pushed Natalya’s finger away with one of her paws. She raised herself up and fought through the pain and soreness within her body as she stared into Natalya’s soulless eyes. "I want to know where my—“

Natalya struck Judy violently across the face, silencing her at once. Judy collapsed back on the floor. "Shut up, you pathetic little creature!" Natalya shouted, her voice echoing off the walls. Pain raced across Judy’s face. Natalya grabbed Judy by the back of her head, forcing her head around to look at her. Natalya balled her paw into a fist and beat her. Pure rage exploded out of her as she struck Judy three times along the right side of her face. Natalya let go of her, breathing heavy, as she quickly drew a small gun from behind her back. The right side of her face burning with pain, Judy looked up. The end of Natalya’s gun pressed up against her temple. Natalya cracked her neck slowly to one side and stared down at Judy. "Your worthless Nicholas and mother are right where my mammals left them. It was only you I wanted right now, not them."

"Why!" Judy screamed as tears fell from her face. "What do you want?

"Revenge!" Natalya replied.

**_A few hours before…_ **

"Nick? Are you listening?" Judy asked, dressed in a light green maternity dress. She looked across a small café table and set her cup of carrot tea down as the pair sat outside a downtown coffee house. Nick, wearing a pair of jeans and a white polo shirt, looked out on the busy street in front of them. Judy placed a paw on Nick's leg. "Nick, please." She took his paw. "You need to talk to me."

"I'm fine, Carrots," Nick replied in a low voice as he looked at her. "I was just…I keep thinking of her—remembering when I lived here in the city as a kit. How she is going to miss being a grandmother and…“.

It had been two weeks since the funeral, and still, Nick was unable to shake off the horror and his guilt. Nick looked away again from Judy.

"Can I get you two anymore coffee or tea?” A young female cheetah, in a light blue blouse and skirt, asked.

"No, no thank you so much," Judy replied politely with a smile. "I think we're okay."

The young waitress returned Judy’s smile as she placed their check down on the table. "You both have a wonderful day and come back to see us again soon."

"Thank you," Judy replied as she reached for her purse at her feet. "Nick?" She gazed down at the bill. "We should go. Mom said her train would be arriving around eleven." She checked her phone, its screen still cracked from dropping it weeks ago. "Oh crackers, it's already 10:14". She placed a few bills into a padded holder as they both left the cafe.

After arriving and parking at Zootopia Central Station later than they planned, Nick and Judy entered the massive station. Judy, holding Nick's arm, made her way to the arrival gate area. “I’m so happy Mom agreed to come and help us get ready for the trip back home.” She looked up at Nick. “If the kits come early we could use—“ The pair stopped and glanced up at the digital arrival board. Judy’s ears shoot up in panic as she read the screen. "The eleven express already arrived!" Judy looked at Nick in shock before whipping her head around nervously. "The train was early. Oh sweet cheese and crackers!" Her sudden outburst caused a passing older yak couple to turn back and look at them. She let go of Nick’s arm and took a few steps before she turned in a circle, looking at the mass of morning travelers. Her grey ears fell lifelessly behind her. "How are we going to find—“

"Judy! Nick…over here!" A female voice shouted a short distance away from them. Judy let out a deep breath. Her mother, Bonnie Hopps, wearing a simple yellow sundress, smiled back, a large suitcase in tow behind her.

Judy rushed over and embraced Bonnie. The two of them locked together, both mother and daughter seemed too melted into each other. Breaking apart a moment later, Bonnie touched her daughter's belly as she gave a light laugh. "Thank you so much for doing this for us, Mom." She squeezed Bonnie’s paws as Nick approached.

"Nick, dear, how are you?" Bonnie asked as Nick gently hugged her. "Stu asked me to tell you two sorry for not being here also. I am afraid, due to the upcoming harvest and the young—“

"Let me take that for you, Bonnie," Nick reached over and took Bonnie's suitcase. "That way you'll be able to talk with Judy better, on the way back to the car." Nick turned and guided them through the crowd, making their way back towards the front of the station.

Bonnie, caught her daughter's eye. Her shoulders lowered as she quietly watched Nick in front of them, his tail dragging on the ground.

"He still hasn’t been himself since the funeral," Judy whispered to her mother. "Everyone has been over, to try and cheer him up, but nothing seems to be helping. Even Finnick came by the other day and tried. Before he left, Finnick told me he has not seen Nick like this since he found him as a kit, hiding in the back alleys of the city."

"He went to back to headquarters earlier this week, and asked Bogo to be reinstated. When I asked what Bogo had said, Nick just said Bogo felt it would be better to just stay on leave till after the kits arrive."

"As well as he should. Your boss Bogo is a smart mammal." Bonnie sighed. "Marie was such a kind-hearted vixen," Bonnie slid a paw around her daughter's arm. "I still remember the two of us, on the farm two nights before your wedding. We were in the living room on one of the couches, talking late into the night. During my usual nightly routine, we stopped by the guest room Nick was staying in. When she went in to check on him, asleep and all curled up, she sat down at the foot of the bed. She must have sat there for five whole minutes before getting up again. She kissed him on the side of the head and left. As we walked back to the kitchen to get more tea, she didn’t say a word. After all their years apart, she said later back on the couch, that that was the one thing she missed most of all when he was young. After everyone finished breakfast the next morning, Marie cornered your father and me in the kitchen. She went on to tell us that she owed our family and you, most of all, for bringing him back to her." Bonnie looked at Judy. "He ran away when he was so young, but you brought him back to her. Now, Nick will never be able to make up for that lost time."

"Mom…I’m really starting to worry about him. He somehow was able to get his paws on her case file with the autopsy report." Judy stopped for a moment, adding to the gap between them and Nick. "I woke up and found him one night with it spread out all over the table. When I asked how he got a hold of it, he jumped out of his chair in surprise. He didn’t say anything. I thought he was about to yell at me, but he just grabbed his coat and left the apartment. After I didn’t hear from him for almost an hour, I got worried and called Bogo at home. I fell asleep on the couch waiting for him. When I woke up around three in the morning, I went back to the bedroom. Maybe he came back and went to bed while I was asleep.” She blinked, staring at Bonnie. “I found him crying in the corner of the nursey all curled up." Her eyes teared up as she remembered walking over to comfort him. "I'm scared of what Natalya did to him. No one has seen or heard from her since." Exiting the station, the two doe's turned toward the station’s parking area.

"Judy, you have to remember, he has just suffered a horrific loss." Bonnie watched as Nick opened the trunk of the car. "Oh, and I almost forgot. Everyone back home knows about the potential danger to the family. Stu has your older brothers watching over the farm and the family in shifts. They won’t let anything happen to us, honey."

"I know mom, but what can—“ Judy hesitated, looking at Nick. "The kits could come any day now; I need Nick back to his old self."

"Oh, honey." Bonnie embraced her daughter, before kissing her on the forehead. "Nick will bounce back, I promise you." She took a deep breath and watched Nick closed the car trunk after storing her suitcase. "When he sees those two little kits for the first time, you'll see."

Judy, wiping her eyes out of sight of Nick, smiled as they approached Nick. "I think I’ll drive this time, thank you." Judy took the car keys from Nick's paw.

"Wait…what?” Nick spoke in surprise. “Carrots, I don’t…are you sure?" Nick look at her, then to Bonnie. "I mean, what if something—“

"Nick, I'm fine." She rolled her eyes. "I don't think driving a few blocks back to the apartment is going to put me in any real danger." She stood up on her toes and kissed Nick on his nose before turning to her mother. "Mom, go ahead and sit behind me."

As the Wilde’s car pull out of the parking area, once everyone was situated, Judy merged into Main Street traffic. She glanced over at Nick before turning her attention back to the road. Judy glanced over a second time, noticed Nick pressed up against the passenger window. She reached over the center console and took Nick’s arm with her free paw. Nick smiled, removing his head from the side window, as he looked over at her. As the car left the main hustle and bustle of the downtown district, Judy came to a stop at a four-way intersection. A thought formed in her head as she leaned over to Nick and whispered something into his ear. Nick mumbled something and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Honey, the light is green," Bonnie leaned forward in her seat. "That is, if you two aren’t too occupied to notice."

Nick and Judy both blushed and laughed as Bonnie sat back in her seat. Judy started to proceed through the intersection. Nick, still looking at Judy with his familiar grin, felt his smile fade instantly. Outside Judy's driver side window, a large dark SUV, its engine revving, was only inches from the car. "Judy—“

**_Minutes later…_ **

Nick, his head propped up against the passenger door, struggled to move as he regained consciousness. He felt along the right top side of his head with a paw. Nick closed his eyes as a shooting pain ran along his head. His vision blurred as he blinked rapidly, he struggled to look around himself. Through the shattered front windshield, a dark figure moved in and out of view. Nick looked to his left as he struggled to remain conscious. Sheer panic immediately took hold of him as screeching tires sounded and then faded. "Judy…where?" he said, struggling to speak. Judy was gone. Fear engulfing him, someone started to moan from the rear seat. Nick, fiddling with his seat belt, suddenly heard the unmistakable sounds of sirens approaching. Unable to release himself, desperately tugging at his restraints more forcibly, he found himself stuck. Struggling to turn back he noticed the semi-conscious Bonnie still in her seat, blood covering the left side of her cheek. Bonnie’s low moans became more frequent as her body moved slightly in the crushed car. Nick slurred his words as he said, "Bonnie, try not to move okay, everything is going to be alright." Trying with all his available strength to reach behind his seat for her, Nick started to drift into unconsciousness. His outstretched left paw falling just short of Bonnie’s paw, he collapsed against the center console.


	9. Something is Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sorry everyone for the long wait, but here it is. I hope you all enjoy it.

**Chapter 9**

"Nick!" A seemingly distant voice shouted to Nick as he regained consciousness again. "Nick, come on, buddy; I need you open your eyes for me."

Nick pressed his eyes together as a paw tapped his face. Opening his eyes, pain raced across his head as if it was being split open. He coughed when a gust of air rushed around his muzzle. As his vision cleared, the familiar grey face of his friend, Greg Wolford, stared down at him.

"That's it, buddy. Give me a few more deep breaths," Greg said as he pressed an oxygen mask to Nick's muzzle.

Nick forced the mask off. His mind sprang back into action. "Judy!" Nick rolled slowly over to his side on the city sidewalk. He staggered to his feet, glancing around himself.

"I got yah, Nick, easy," Greg said, steadying him with his arm. "I don't think you should be—" He stopped when Nick threw off his paw and moved past him. "Nick, I think you need to sit back down." Greg watched his friend turn his head in all directions. "What's wrong?"

"Carrots… Judy!" Nick shouted into the now crowded intersection. Nick glanced around him as fire and rescue personnel walked around him. His attention turned to the wrecked car. Both driver side doors were twisted pieces of metal. Still fixated on Judy, Nick suddenly remembered Bonnie. _"Oh god… Bonnie!"_ He took a few rapid steps toward the car, stumbling along the way. He steadied himself as he approached it. The windows had been shattered by the force of the impact. Closing his eyes, he relived the horrible moment. Nick, his legs, trembling beneath him, collapsed to his knees.

"I got you!" Greg shouted behind Nick. "I told you, you shifty fox, you need to take it easy." Greg wrapped his arm around Nick's waist, keeping him upright.

"Bonnie…I have to—" Nick mumbled as he balanced himself again.

"Bonnie is perfectly alright, Nick. The medics are cleaning her up now." Greg pointed to a colored ambulance parked on the opposite side of the intersection. "I had the rescue team get her out of the car before you. Medics say she just suffered a deep cut along the left side of her head; she'll be fine. She's conscious and alert. A little shaken up but that's to be expected, given what had happened to both of you."

"What about Judy, Greg, is she alright? Are the kits alright?" Nick asked, looking around the intersection, hoping to see Judy suddenly appear.

"What do you mean, Nick?" Greg's eyebrows drew together as he looked at Nick. "Only you and Bonnie were in the car when Hindquarter and I arrived on scene."

Nick felt as if his heart was about to rip apart. "No, no, no, this can't be happening, not now." Nick turned rapidly in a circle. "She was… I need to find—" Nick grabbed at his ears and pulled on them as he mumbled.

Greg lowered his eyebrows and kept his eyes on him. "Nick, I think you need to go to the hospital." Greg started to direct Nick over to one of two ambulances. "Both you and Bonnie need to go and be checked out by a doctor."

"She's missing, Greg; Judy is missing! Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" Nick stopped in in his tracks. "She was the one driving the car, when—" Nick stood there looking back at his wrecked car. "Think about it, Greg. You said you found Bonnie and me in the car. Who do you think was driving? I was in the front passenger seat. Did you even think about that?" Nick became silent.

Greg turned back to Nick's damaged car. For a moment, Greg tilted his head slightly to one side before looking back at Nick. "What is it, Nick?"

"Where's the other car?" Nick replied, his paw outstretched as he looked at Greg. "The dark SUV that hit us, where is it?" Nick closed his eyes as he took two steps forward. "We were right in the middle of the intersection." Nick opened his eyes and looked down at the asphalt. _"No skid marks. It didn't even try to stop!"_ Nick thought. He crossed into the road, stepping over broken glass still littered on the asphalt. He turned back to Greg. "It never even tried to stop. It hit us deliberately."

"Officer Wolford!" A voice called out.

Greg turned around. Joseph Hindquarter rushed toward him and Nick. A cell phone clutched in his paw, Joseph hesitated for a second. He looked at Nick before addressing Greg. "It's Chief Bogo. He wants an update." He held the phone out to Greg.

Exhaling deeply, Greg took the phone. "Yes, Chief."

"What is Wilde's condition?"

"Wilde has regained consciousness, Chief." He took a long, deep breath. "Chief… ah…. Nick has informed us, Judy was also in the vehicle."

"Hopps…" A long pause followed. "You told me there were only two victims: Wilde and his mother-in-law. What is Hopps' condition?"

"We don't know, chief, she is… ah…. missing. Also, from what information we are getting from Wilde, the vehicle that hit them was a dark-colored SUV." Greg turned to Nick before stepping away from him.

Nick, motioning to Hindquarter to follow him, crossed the intersection. "Joseph, where's Bonnie?" As Nick moved alongside one of the ambulances, he stopped for a second. His vision, for a fraction of a second, went black before returning. He pressed a paw up against the ambulance.

"Sergeant, are you alright?" Joseph asked, unsure what to do, as he stretched a paw out.

"Yeah Joseph, I'm fine." Nick turned to him before rounding the back end. He let out a deep breath when he found Bonnie sitting next to the back door. "Bonnie." A blanket wrapped low around her, she turned toward him. A medic pressing surgical gauze to the left side of her head also turned toward Nick's voice.

"Mrs. Hopps, I need you to hold this for me for a moment; I'll be right back." The medic placed Bonnie's paw over the gauze, then he climbed into the back of the ambulance.

Her lavender, motherly eyes welled with tears. "Oh, thank god, Nick." The sides of her face now saturated, her lower lip trembled as she said, "I couldn't—" Nick silenced her as he embraced her. She closed her eyes and pressed her head to his chest. "No one will tell me anything about Judy. Have you seen her? Is she alright? Please tell me she and the kits are alright, Nick." Bonnie, taking a deep breath, sank her face into Nick's chest.

"She's not here, Bonnie," Nick replied, releasing her and looking into her eyes. "Greg said she wasn't in the car when they arrived. Someone took her when we were both unconscious."

"Nick!" Greg rushed over and hesitated for a moment. "Nick, listen. Bogo ordered me to tell you and Mrs. Hopps to head over to the hospital to get checked out."

"Greg!" Nick interrupted him, startling Bonnie. "The first and only thing I am going to do right now is to try and find Judy." As Nick moved closer to the timber wolf, a new found surge of energy erupted in him. "You have been a good close friend to Judy and me, but you have two choices in front of you right now, Greg. One…" Nick raised a finger. "…you help me find Judy, or two…" He raised a second. "…as lead sergeant, I will have to take your cruiser and go find her myself."

"Nick…I." Greg watched Nick turn back to Bonnie.

"Bonnie, I want you to go to the hospital." Nick motioned his head into the ambulance, where a female white-tail and male cougar medic now stood. "Make sure there is an officer with you at all times while you are there. If they have any questions, give them my name. When they release you, do not leave. Call and have an officer pick you up and take you back to headquarters." Nick grabbed her paws.

"Nick…" Bonnie shook as she looked at him.

"I need to find her, Bonnie. I don't know how, but I'll find her." He embraced her again. "I can't lose her, or the kits. I swore I would always protect her and the kits."

"Be careful, Nick." Bonnie rested her face on Nick's chest. "You promise me that."

"I will." Nick replied, releasing her.

Bonnie, lowered her head into her paws, the fur around her face saturated from her tears. He brushed the back of her head and ears, then rested his head on top of her. "You be careful. If you see anything wrong or strange at the hospital, tell someone."

"I will." Bonnie whispered as he released her.

As Nick walked away, Joseph eyed the pair and quickly followed him. "So, what's the next move?" Joseph asked as they walked back into the intersection.

"Why only take Judy?" Nick said as he turned again in a circle. "There has to be something else." Nick turned back to the car along the side of the road. A crowd had formed near it. "Something is missing. If this was Natalya work, why leave me? She could have just killed me while I was unconscious. Joseph, were there any witnesses to the crash?"

"I don't think so, no one has come forward with any information." Joseph replied as he looked at the crowd across from them. "I'll go find out." Joseph tapped Nick's back.

Nick knelt for a moment by the broken shards of glass by the driver's side door. Traces of blood were still visible inside the driver door. Nick closed his eyes. _"Is she alright? Is she still alive?"_ Opening his eyes, he stood up, taking a few slow breaths. As Nick turned away, his eyes starting to water, he noticed something a few feet away. A teenaged beaver, in front of the crowd of onlookers, was doing something. The beaver had a cell phone extended in front of himself. Nick watched the beaver pan it in his direction. The beaver raised the phone higher in the air. Nick lowered his head, thinking. He's using his phone to record, of course. He raised his head and looked into the intersection. Remembering from years ago, the case that had had forever changed his life, he found what he was looking for.

Nick pounded on the ambulance rear doors. One of the medics, the female whitetail, opened them. "We are just about to leave. Is there something else you need, sergeant?"

"I just need a couple of minutes, please," Nick replied, climbing into the back cab area. Bonnie, who had been placed on a gurney, sat up at Nick's arrival. Nick, raising his paws to Bonnie's face, caught his breath as he looked at her. "I think I know how I can find Judy." Describing what he had witnessed seconds before, he told her his plan. Making sure Bonnie was in good paws, he stepped down and closed the back doors before tapping on them. The ambulance, its lights flashing, started to pull away from him.

_"I need a phone!"_ Nick ran back over to the car. He opened the pried side driver door and rummaged through it. Looking under and around the driver seat, he found what he was looking for. Nick withdrew Judy's cell phone that was wedged underneath the center console. Its screen was now shattered beyond use. Nick, cursing, threw the phone back into the car. Thinking quickly, he turned to look for Greg. He found him sitting in his police cruiser. "Greg, I need your phone, now!"

"What?" Greg watched as Nick raced over to where he was. "You need what?" Greg asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Your phone, I need it. I know how we can find Judy." Nick stopped in front of the car, breathing heavily. "I just need to call Clawhauser first and get a number."

"Yeah…sure, I guess." Greg replied, still confused as he handed his phone. "Whose number do you need?

"I'll tell you in a minute," Nick said. He pressed a few numbers and held the phone to his ear. Nick turned back to Greg. "I need a pen and some paper, anything."

"Sergeant, here, use this," Joseph Hindquarter said behind Nick, holding out his notepad and pen.

Taking them, Nick listened as the phone continued to ring. _"I swear if that cheetah has gone to get another box of dough—"_

"Zootopia PD, this is Officer Clawhauser speaking, how can I—"

"Ben, it's Nick!" Nick interrupted.

"Nick! Oh god, I heard over the radio; are you—" Benjamin began to ramble off.

"Ben, please! I don't have time; I'm sorry," Nick yelled, cutting Benjamin off. "I need Tabby's cell phone. I know you have it."

"Tabitha? Sure, hold on. But you should know, Nick, Tabitha's not at work today. That rock band she is always talking about is holding a concert at the park today. She was so excited about it yesterday that it was all she talked about during lunch." Benjamin searched through his cell phone's contact numbers. "You may have a hard time reaching her if she's there already."

Tabitha Stephens, a white Flemish rabbit, was one of the ZPD's finest leading forensics, computer, and ballistics specialists. Highly intelligent, and extremely friendly, she was well known throughout the ZPD for her, one could say, unusual taste in clothing. With her collection of gothic shirts and shirks she wore, she drew attention from time to time. During the trial of former Mayor Bellwether, Tabitha was one of the first to thoroughly analyze the Night Howler drug. With the help of her report, she helped doctors, treating those affected, and broke the code to develop the antidote. Shortly after Judy's reinstatement, both she and Judy formed a tight friendship, second only to Judy's with Nick. Nick has never quite forgotten meeting Tabitha for the first time. Tabitha, months after joining the ZPD, had earned herself a reputation as being a major hugger. It was the one thing in which Judy had failed to mention to Nick. One day, as the pair ventured to Tabitha's lab to discuss a case with her, Nick was introduced to her, as Judy liked to say, in a memorable way. Catching him off guard as he entered the lab, Tabby cried out and rushed at Nick in a wave of white fur. Nearly toppling him over, she gave him her now trademarked hug, causing tears to gush from Judy's eyes in a fit of laughter.

Writing down the number for Tabitha's cell phone, Nick thanked Ben before he hung up. Examining the screen, there in bold letters, above the numbers he had just entered the word Cottontail appeared. As he pressed the green call button, Nick thought, _"Why is Judy's private nickname on Greg's phone?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you enjoyed this chapter, please take a moment and leave a quick comment and let me know your thoughts.


	10. Cottontail? Greg and Tabitha?

**Chapter 10**

Tabitha Stevens walked with an added spring to her step as she turned a corner leading toward the rear of the famous Zootopia Concert Park. Her heart expanded joyously as the sound of the music played in the distance. She stopped shy of two tall concert security lions. _"I can't believe I'm actually going to have the chance to meet Rick Savage of Def Leopard."_ Dressed in her favorite green tartan miniskirt and black, sleeveless Def Leopard shirt, she stepped closer to the pair of lions. Reaching down into her shirt, she started to pull out a backstage pass. It was at that moment short vibrations went off in her back pocket, traveling to the tip of her tail. She came to a sudden stop as she turned her head. The screen on her phone illuminated with each new vibration. Tabitha, letting out a deep sigh, took a step back from the back entrance as she reached for her phone. She smile when she raised the phone to eye level. A warm, sinful, sensation of a memory from a mere two nights ago flooded through her. Tabitha quickly swiped the phone's screen and raised it to her ear. “Dose my big wolfy miss his fluffy—“ Tabitha playfully began to say.

“Tabby?” Nick interrupted, unsure as to what he had just heard her say. “It’s Nick, where are you?”

“Oh god…Nick.” Tabitha, crouching suddenly, silently mouthed a chosen swear word. She raised herself up. Her face now completely flushed, Tabitha lowered the phone to recheck the number. She raised the phone back to her ear. “Nick… I’m so sorry… I thought you were… never mind; forget everything I just said, please. You caught me just as I was about to go inside—“

“Tabby, can you meet me at headquarters, right now?” Nick pleaded.

Tabitha, uneasy after hearing the tone of Nick’s voice, turned back to the two security lions. One of them whispered something to his friend before they each laughed at her. Tabitha gave both lions a heavy, stern look before walking away. As she walked along the winding path leading from the park, she asked, “Nick, what’s going on?”

“Judy is gone, Tabby, taken!” Nick replied. “Someone rammed our car as we were coming back from the station with her mother. Whoever they were, they grabbed her and left us at the scene.” His voice become more frantic with every word he spoke.

“Oh god!” Nick, are you okay? What about Bonnie?” Tabitha asked nervously.

“She’s alright,” Nick replied. “She suffered a cut to the head and is a little shaken up, but I’m told she’ll be fine. She’s heading the hospital now. I need your help, please Tabby. I’ve got an idea on how to find Judy!”

"I’m over at the concert park at the moment, Nick.” Tabby, took one last look back as the sound of heavy rock music started once again. She breathed another heavy sigh. “I’ll head back over to headquarters and meet you there.”

“Thanks, Tabby, I owe you one.” Across the city, Nick hung up the phone and turned back toward Greg, motioning him over. He found his mind teeming with ever more new questions to ask his friend. Suddenly the name on phone became clearer. _“Cottontail? Greg and Tabitha?”_

Greg moved closer toward Nick, his cheeks reddening underneath his fur. The pair walked out of Hindquarter’s hearing range. Rubbing the back of his head with a paw, Greg grimaced at Nick’s stare. The secret he had been trying so hard to hide these last few months was now out.

“Tabitha?” Nick said in a deep voice, his eyes moving toward Hindquarter then back again. “You and Tabitha? How long has this been going on?”

“We’ve been physically living together, for almost four months now.” Greg stopped rubbing his neck as a slight smirk crossed the side of his mouth. “But we’ve been dating in secret for over a year now. At first it was just innocent stuff, you know, under the radar, so we wouldn’t draw attention.”

“Does Judy know about you two?” Nick continued to stare at him.

“No… we’ve both been kind of nervous, letting any of our close friends or coworkers know anything at this time. Tabitha has been having a hard time keeping it from Judy as you can imagine. You know how she gets when they talk about stuff.” Greg glanced back at Hindquarter with wide eyes, and his smirk disappeared.

“Who started it?” Nick asked. “I mean, I’ve seen you with quite a few attractive she-wolves in the past. How did you suddenly—“

“I can’t quite explain it.” Greg grabbed Nick’s arm and led him further away. “I guess it’s all the times, seeing you and Judy together. Well, I sort of started to think about what it might be like to, you know, be in a prey relationship." Greg searched in his phone for a photo and then showed Nick a selfie of him and Tabitha at a park, lying on the grass together. "Deep down, I’ve sort of have had this attractiveness to Tabitha. Since she started working at the ZPD. I couldn't explain why, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about her. In the end, I just hid my feelings and fought with myself whenever we were close to one another. That is, until you and Judy’s wedding. After that night, I made up my mind to just take a chance. So, one day when I was getting off work, I sort of ran into Tabitha. I got up the nerve to ask her out for a friendly drink that night.”

“And?” Nick grinned back.

“At first it was just innocent stuff, like I said, a movie here and there, or dinner as friends. When I asked her one evening how she felt about us, you know, being together. She said something that I never would have expected." Greg looked down at the picture again before placing the phone in his pocket. "Tabitha, it turns out, had had the same feeling toward me for some time." Greg continued to smile at Nick. "So, after that night, we decided to give it a try, under the radar. We’ve been keeping it that way since, as I said, so we wouldn’t draw any attention, until we were both ready to make it public. It wasn’t until six months ago we took our relationship a step further and...." Greg took a deep breath. "You know." He turned around once again to make sure Joseph wasn’t listening. "You know what Tabitha and Judy are like when they’re together, telling each other everything. Well, it seems Tabitha started inconspicuously asking Judy questions about certain things. About you and Judy and...you know, when you're both alone at night.”

“Let me guess, you became twitterpated after that night, didn’t you Greg?” Nick smiled back at his friend, clasping his shoulder. “It happens to the best of us, Greg. They’ll do that to us if we’re not careful. Trust me on this one, Greg: they’re very good at making guys like us twitterpated.” The two of them stood there, and Nick sternly said, “Listen, Greg, I really need your help. I need to get back to headquarters and find out who did this…” He motioned to the car. “…and where they took Judy. Tabitha’s heading back there now to help.”

Greg, thinking of Bogo's orders to ensure Nick went to the hospital, took another deep breath before turning toward Hindquarter. “Hindquarter!” He called out as he thought, _“God this fox is going to get me fired.”_

“Yeah?” Joseph turned toward to where Nick and Greg stood.

Greg walked over to him. "Wait here and continue processing everything we may have overlooked. I’ll call Fangmeyer and Hoot to come over and assist you. Once the scene has been cleared, have Fangmeyer and Hoot bring you back. Once you’re back, call Zootopia General and check on Judy’s mom, Bonnie. Do you understand?”

“Roger that.” Hindquarter replied. “Where are you going?”

“Headquarters, with Nick. Just wait here for Fangmeyer and Hoot.” Greg finished, opening the cruiser’s driver side door.

**_Minutes later…_ **

Nick threw open the door to the police cruiser as it came to a halt. He dashed up and along the walkway leading to the front entrance of headquarters. Once inside, he shifted his feet as he suddenly made a dash for a set of elevators.

“Wilde!” The sound of Bogo's voice tore through the silent atrium.

Nick came to a stop as he reached the elevator doors and lowered his ears. Anger rising deep within him, he turned his head back as his shoulders fell.

“Wilde, I will not allow your blatant and continual insubordination continue to plague me or this department!” Bogo yelled, crossing the open atrium. “Did I not give explicit orders that you were to go to the hospital? Explain to me what you are doing here—“

“For once…just for once, Chief…” Nick interrupted, breathing fast as he faced Bogo. “…would you get the hell off my tail?” Nick gave a cold look back at Bogo. “After everything I have been through today...waking up after having my car rammed and finding out my wife – my pregnant wife..." Nick pointed a finger back at him. “…one of your best officers – has been kidnapped, and you have the nerve to look me in the eyes and ask what I am doing here? What do you think I’m doing, Chief?” Nick, still breathing fast, started around the main atrium. He glanced at a few nearby officers before he looked back at Bogo. “I need access to the city’s traffic camera system, right now,” Nick demanded. “I need to know who and where that SUV took Judy.”

Bogo, faltering a little, turned around the atrium as he felt the stares of the officers around him and Nick. Exhaling, he lowered his eyes to the floor, as he stood there.

“Chief, listen to me. The mammals in that SUV would have been recorded by those street cameras,” Nick spoke in a calmer manner.

Bogo’s face became expressionless as he looked up. _“If we know where they went and who is involved, then there a good chance we can find where she is.”_ Bogo thought as he shifted his body toward a narrow corridor next to the elevators. “Wilde, follow me, now,” he said firmly, brushing past Nick. Nick raised his eyebrows and immediately followed Bogo.

“Nick…Nick!” Tabitha appeared as she rushed across the atrium.

“Tabby!” Nick shouted, turning his head back around. "Over here." He moved back toward the atrium.

Bogo, whipping his head around, narrowed his eyes as Tabitha embraced Nick. Nick yelped as pain erupted from his now bruised ribs. Bogo exhaled through his nose.

Tabitha jumped back. “Oh…Nick, I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” Tabitha said rapidly. “No, of course you’re not, with the accident and everything. Any news yet?” Her expression changed once again. “I mean no news is good news, right? Not that I want bad news, but if we did hear anything –“

“Tabby, please.” Nick steadied her. “Come on, we need to go.” Nick, sprinting along the corridor with Tabitha, approached Bogo.

Bogo, standing next to a door with the words Central Control painted across it, eyed Tabitha questionably. “Stephens, why are you here?" He noticed the tall rabbit's attire, raising an eyebrow. “I understand you requested today off in order to go to some event.”

I did, that is I was, but then Nick called, and I –“ Tabitha started to reply.

“I called her. She can be a big help to us in finding where they may have taken Judy.” Nick replied, looking at Bogo.

Taking another deep breath, Bogo turned toward the heavy door and withdrew a plastic key card from his back pocket. He pressed the card into a computerized pad mounted to the right of the door and waited for a second. A short buzz sounded, followed by the doors lock clicking. Bogo pressed onto the door. “Both of you, come on.” He motioned to the pair as he entered Central Control.


	11. RussCorp

Chapter 11

Nick was unable to believe what he was seeing as he entered Central Control, behind Bogo. Nick hesitated as he came to a dead stop. "What the..." Nick started to speak as he turned his head, gazing in and along the room, and took a few steps inside. Mounted along the length of one of the walls was a massive collection of monitors that seemed to overshadow the room. Divided into groups of six, two high and three across; each group seemingly monitored a different district. Nick stared at one of the groups labeled, Tundra District. Each of the monitors, he noticed, routinely changed views, showing a different intersection or road.

"Bridget, are you there?" Bogo shouted before walking over to an open office. "I need you to show us video footage from the intersection of Darwin Drive and Maximus Parkway."

"Give me one minute, Bogo." A female voice replied from deep within the office. Bogo turned and entered the office.

Nick turned toward Tabitha. "Tabby, all this time, I had no idea we even had anything like this." A moment later, Nick watched Bogo follow a female zebra, who wore a simple, light-colored, dress walk out of the office.

"Oh, hello, Tabitha. Is there something you need?" Bridget asked in a friendly voice.

"She's with us, Bridget," Bogo replied.

Bridget gave Bogo a gentle nod as she walked across the room and sat down at one of the stations. "You said you need video feed of Darwin Drive and Maximus Parkway, right?" Bridget typed rapidly. She looked up at the overhead monitor; her eyes fixed on the screen as a live feed of the intersection appeared.

"Okay..." Bogo moved closer to her as he too stared up at the intersection feed. "Wilde, how far back do you need?"

Nick, watched a tow truck slowly loaded his wrecked car on the back of its bed.

"Wilde," Bogo repeated sternly.

"What?" Nick's neck snapped toward Bogo. "Oh, right—ah…between eleven-thirty and twelve I think." Nick lowered his head to think. "Wait!" Nick suddenly moved toward Bridget. "Wait. Bridget, are there any cameras at Central Station, near the east parking area?"

"Let's find out," Bridget replied as she typed away. "Yes, we have three in that area. One in the plaza overlooking the station. The other two cover both street parking areas."

"Show me the east side parking area," Nick replied. "Around 10:30 a.m. today." He gazed up at two large screens in front of him and watched the time stamp in the bottom corner advanced. In what seemed to be only a matter of seconds, he noticed his car pulled into a vacant space. A few cars could be seen driving down the city street. "There!" he said, pointing to a dark SUV as it unnoticeably passed by. Minutes later, as he and Judy started to walk down the sidewalk, the same SUV reappeared on the screen. Everyone watched as it stopped for a moment, just short of him and Judy. A spotted paw extended out the window as if pointing at them. "Did you see that?” Nick paused. “They were following us. Why didn't I see it?"

"Go ahead and bring the intersection back up, Bridget." Bogo looked back at Nick.

"Video is coming back… now." Four monitors illuminated from above. "Darwin Drive and Maximus Parkway, at around 11 a.m. this morning."

"Can you fast forward it to just after eleven-thirty, Bridget?" Nick asked as his attention now on all four screens. Watching the traffic race across the screens, they came to a stop. Nick noticed the time stamp on them read 12:17 p.m.

Ok, here we go," Bogo said as he crossed his arms over his massive chest.

As the video feeds played for a bit, Nick and Judy's car slowly stopped at the intersection. The dark SUV, pulling alongside the sidewalk, on the cross street, appeared on screen now to the left of where Nick's car was. The light facing Nick's car turned green. It was over in a matter of seconds. Tabitha, seated next to Nick, screamed and covered her mouth as the dark SUV blatantly drove into the car. She turned away as her heart raced, and she grabbed Nick's paw.

"Bridget…" Nick, reliving the painful moment, turned toward her. He swallowed. "Could you back the video up to just before the crash and then play it again frame by frame?"

"Of course. Give me a second," Bridget replied as she backed the video up to the moment the SUV started to move forward. "Just tell me when to stop." She began to play the video from all four directions slowly.

"Keep going, keep going…" Nick said, his attention locked on one of the screens. "There—stop right there!" Nick said. The screen showed a clear head-on view of the SUV as it started to cross into the intersection. "Bridget, I need you to enlarge this area here, where the bumper is." Nick pointed to the screen above him.

"I'll bring it up on my screen here," Bridget replied.

Nick walked over to her and Bogo, were as the image appeared and refocused. He pointed to the now visible vehicle plate, smiling. "2-3-A-U-7-8-8!" Nick said. "Tabby, I need you to do your magic. I need to know whose vehicle that is!"

"I'm on it!" Tabitha said as she rose from her chair toward a computer station near her. "2-3-A-U-7-8-8," She kept repeating in her head as she logged herself into the system. Nick followed her.

"Bridget, fast forward the video to just after the crash for me," Bogo asked, still looking at the screen above them.

"Just tell me when to stop, Chief," Bridget replied, starting the video seconds after the crash.

"There, right there!" Bogo replied, gazing up at the screen. The video, showed three individuals exiting the SUV. A cheetah and two raccoons, their bodies frozen, were now clearly visible. "Wilde, come back over and look at this."

Nick looked back at Bogo. Bogo pointed to the overhead screen. Nick moved back next to Bogo, and he looked up at the screen showing the three individuals. "That can't be. Is that...?" Nick looked at Bogo. His attention returned to the clear image of the cheetah in the video, he spoke slowly. "Drake...Drake Grounder."

"Yes, yes, it is, Wilde," Bogo replied.

"I don't understand." Nick, brow raised in confusion, lowered his head. "How did he get involved, in some way, in all this?"

"Those two raccoons with him. They're called the Gibbins Brothers." Bogo crossed his arms over his chest, concern falling over him. "They're a couple of high-level hit mammals. They used to operate in the Meadowland District when I was a captain. In their youth, they were a pawful. I ended up arresting the pair years ago, on a petty offense, before I became Chief. Bridget…" Bogo moved to her left side. "I want to know where that SUV goes immediately after the crash."

"Nick, I got it!" Tabitha shouted suddenly. "Plate number 2-3-A-U-7-8-8, I got it." Both Nick and Bogo left Bridget's side and rushed over to Tabitha. "The vehicle is registered to an Anna Russak." She looked at the pair. "Russak. Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"I don't know," Nick replied. "Grounder and now this Anna Russak," he thought. "It doesn't make any sense. Why does that name…" A memory suddenly flashed before his eyes. He was back inside a courtroom, during Natalya's trial, sitting in a witness chair. As a city prosecutor asked him a question, he looked at a small group of wolves seated behind Natalya. Two of the wolves he recognized almost at once. One of them, a male wolf called Nikolai, was Natalya's uncle. The other two, both females, sat clutching one another. The elder of the two females, Nick recalled was Natalya's mother, Inna. The younger wolf, her features closely resembling Natalya in some ways, Nick looked straight into her eyes, as she looked back at him. "She was there—Anna was there," Nick shouted. He turned to look at Bogo, who rubbed his chin, eyes narrowed. "Natalya's half-sister. I remember now." Nick sat next to Tabitha. "Anna Russak. She was sitting with Natalya's mother and uncle during the trial. Her last name was Russak because Natalya's mother had an affair with Anna's father. Inna became his mate while she was still with Natalya's father. Her mother had two litters with Anna's father. She and an older brother are the only ones still alive. Her older brother had two other male siblings. One was locked up after contracting a strain of rabies and died a few years later. Natalya's father killed the other brother after he had double-crossed the family. Anna was the only one from her litter to survive past childhood. The litter had contracted canine distemper. Anna was sent away to her uncles to keep her safe."

"Stephens, I want the address of Anna ASAP." Bogo motioned to Tabitha.

"Chief, Sergeant Wilde, you both need to come back over here, now," Bridget said from her seat.

"What is it, Bridget?" Bogo replied as he moved over to her, Nick followed right behind him.

"The street camera's lost track of the SUV." Bridget typed furiously on the computer. "The vehicle disappears right around…here." Bridget enlarged an overhead map of the city. "Right after they get on the expressway. The vehicle started to head east, but that's as far as we could track it. All the traffic cameras past that point and along the east side area"—she highlighted an area on the map—" to the waterfront have been taken off-line for systems maintenance and upgrades."

"Damn it!" Nick slammed his fist hard onto the desk where Bridget sat. He collapsed into a chair. "It's as if they knew to go to that area."

"Wilde, we'll find her." Bogo took Nick's shoulder.

"Ah…Chief, I think you need to come over and look at this." Tabitha said.

"What?" Bogo asked as he let go of Nick and stepped back over to Tabitha.

"Anna Russak's address. DMV records show it's not a residence address, but a company's." Tabitha turned to Bogo. "The company is here in Zootopia, under the name RussCorp."

"Where?" Bogo leaned closer to the screen. "What's their address?"

Tabitha pressed a finger to the screen in front of her. "In the financial district, right here in downtown, Chief, 59th Street and Flynn Rider."

"Does RussCorp have property on the east end of the city?" Nick said as he stood and walked back to Tabitha. "Anything, rental or business."

"Give me some room and a few minutes," Tabitha replied. "Let me work my magic and do some digging." Tabitha closed her eyes, took a deep breath and opened her eyes. Her paws raced across the keyboard. For almost twenty minutes, Tabitha searched RussCorp for any lists of properties within the city. As she raised an eyebrow slowly, Tabitha said, "Okay, now that is interesting."

"What, what is it?" Nick and Bogo replied in unison, jumping to their feet.

"All right, but you both will need to try and follow along with me on this." Tabitha motioned up to the larger screen as she placed articles and scanned paperwork onto it. Nick and Bogo raised their heads toward the screen. "Around ten years ago, RussCorp bought out an old bankrupted energy company called Solar Life. The terms of the deal"—Tabitha brought up a document— "put RussCorp in total control of Solar as the old company began to shut down and liquidated its assets. Now—" she turned to the two of them— "do either of you remember two years ago when the city's corporate and banking district was thrown into financial troubles?" Tabitha asked. "Well, it turns out, RussCorp was one of the major companies caught embezzling." She brought up a news article related to RussCorp and its embezzlement charges. "This is part of an independent investigation report launched by the investment firm Lemming Brothers. The report concluded that RussCorp had embezzled millions from their funds. Some of the company's top officials were even able to walk away without prosecution. RussCorp is right now facing bankruptcy problems."

"Why is this important, Stephens?" Bogo looked back at her.

"Because, Chief," Tabitha explained. "Since RussCorp's case ended, the company has had to sell all of its properties to pay off the judgments against it in the courts. RussCorp is now in the works of being broken up and sold piecemeal."

"Stephens, get to the point. How is this helping us find Hopps?" Bogo asked with a gruff voice.

Tabitha, sighing, brought up another image of a yellow sheet of paper. "Because I found this." Tabitha pointed to the screen. "A bill of sale from a rental company for a warehouse, dated last month." She looked over at Bogo. "See the name on the bill of sale?"

Both Bogo and Nick focused on the scanned handwritten slip. The name "Solar Life" inscribed on it. Tabitha cleared her throat. "How does a company, no longer in business, from years ago, and that RussCorp bought, suddenly pop up on a commercial rental agreement? Also prepaid in full for three months?"

"Where?" Bogo replied quickly. "Where is the warehouse?"

"The Port Authority, on the east end of the city, Chief," Tabitha replied.

Nick, noticing a number written across the slip, felt his stomach turn as if someone had hit him. His eyes enlarged, and he reread the number. "Warehouse 48!" He immediately turned and sprinted across the room. Opening the door, he dashed out and across the corridor.

"Wilde!" Bogo yelled as Nick disappeared. He looked back up at the screen. It was then he realized why Nick ran off. Bogo rushed along the length of the room. "Thank you, the both of you, great work," he said to the pair as he exited.

"Chief?" Tabitha ran after him, stopping at the door. "What is it?" she shouted.

"That was the location where all of this started, Stephens," Bogo shouted over his shoulder. "Warehouse 48 is where we arrested Natalya. Hopps and Wilde were there. She may have taken Hopps back there." He stopped suddenly and turned around. "Stephens, I want you to go and find Trunkaby. Tell him I want Anna Russak found and brought to headquarters and held for questioning, right now."


	12. Stand Down

Chapter 12

"Warehouse 48." Nick ran up the atrium's staircase. Reaching the top, he turned down a long, sunlit hallway and stopped at a heavy wooden door. The door was labeled "SWAT." A more artistic painted label was underneath, which read, "The Den." Nick opened the door and rushed inside. "The Den" was just what one would think of when hearing the name for the first time. The large single room, with cage lockers of different sizes against three of the room's four walls, was used as briefing room and lounge by other officers, but its main purpose was still for SWAT members to store their tactical gear. Two massive screens each with two dry erase boards on each side of the room. In the middle of the room, three large sofas sat in a horseshoe-like formation facing the screen and board. Beat-up, old chairs and stools also laid scattered around the room.

"Hey, Sergeant. Is there something that I can help you with?" A tall, dark tan stallion, sitting beside one of the sofas, turned his head as Nick entered the room. The stallion lowered a sniper rifle he had been cleaning.

"Where is Wolford, Clatter?" Nick said quickly.

"He's at his desk in the—" Clatter raised his left brow as Nick turned and ran out of the room.

"Wolford!" Nick said, entering a maze of cubicles and offices that made up the ZPD main operations floor. He made a dash for one of the cubicles half way down. A few officers stood up to look out on the room.

"Nick? What is it, did you find where…?" Greg raised his head to see Nick stop in front of his cubicle. He raised his eyebrow hesitantly as his friend inhaled deeply. He rose up from his chair, setting down his action report from the accident scene.

"Give me… your keys, Greg!" Nick extended his paw to Greg. He bent over and placed his other paw on his knee. "I don't have time to explain; I need your keys right now!" Nick raised himself back up.

"Wilde!" Bogo's deep voice shouted over the mass of cubicles. He narrowed his eyes as he proceeded through the office area. "You will stand down this second." Almost as if it were a common occurrence, one or two officers rose from their cubicles.

"Here we go again," a female jackal officer said to her friend next to her, as Bogo passed her.

"What do you think Wilde did this time?" The jackal's friend replied.

Bogo brushed past a few lingering officers as they sprinted into both empty and occupied cubicles. "Whatever you are thinking of doing, Wilde, I will not allow you to—"

The keys to Greg's police cruiser were within his reach. Nick knew he had only a few seconds as he turned and looked back at Bogo. He made a grab for the keys.

Greg, his attention on Bogo, was slow to react. He quickly shifted his attention back to Nick as they both made a grab for the keys. Greg grabbed Nick by the wrist and said deeply, "Wait... Nick, you need to—" Greg went silent as Bogo grabbed Nick by his shoulder with one paw.

"Get your paws off of me!" He clutched the car keys tightly in his paw, but he struggled to take a step back. Both Bogo and Greg, not wishing to make a scene, released Nick. "I'm not going to stand down! Not this time, Chief!" Nick shouted at the top of his lungs, his fangs now bared for everyone to see. "I swore to her, Bogo, on my family oath… until my last breath…" Nick swallowed, as he struggled to speak. He looked at Greg and Bogo as he took another deep breath. "I failed to keep my mother safe from harm." Nick grabbed at his ears. "She died, all alone, at the paws of that psychopathic wolf." He looked deep into Bogo's eyes. "I will not fail a second time! Not with Judy. So no, I… will… not… stop!" He turned once again and looked at Greg, still breathing hard, then pointed at him. "You, Greg, above all know of the oath Canidae alphas are required to swear before their matriarchs. Remember your older brother, Liam, when he took his oath? Judy and I were there with your family." Nick turned to the room and eyed a few canine officers, staring at him. "All of you know this…what I'm saying!"

"Wilde, shut your tiny mouth now!" Bogo hit the walls of an adjacent cubicle. "I could care far less about your so-called family oath. You are a sworn officer under my command, and I say you will stand down. I will not risk any of my officers' lives, in some foolish attempt to rescue Hopps, and not without first making some form of contact with Natalya and finding a way—"

"By the time you do that, Chief, Judy will be dead and Natalya in the wind." Nick reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a slim, black wallet. He opened the wallet and slammed it hard on Greg's desk, revealing his off-duty badge inside. "After all the cases we have done together, all the praises and awards— I thought she meant more to you than this, Chief." Nick looked Bogo dead in his eyes. "I guess it was all just a lie to you, wasn't it, Chief? These past few years, you never gave a damn about Judy or what this department meant to her. To you, she's still, and always will be, that dumb meter maid bunny, you got stuck with— who married a good-for-nothing fox." He took another step back and looked one last time at his friend. "I'm sorry, Greg, I can't be a part of this world without her. She and those kits are all I have left." Greg and Bogo, speechless, watched Nick race through rows of cubicles and disappear.

Bogo looked at the sergeant badge on Greg's desk and lowered his shoulders as everyone within earshot erupted in conversation. "Chief Bogo, what's going on?" Bogo's assistant Veronica asked as she appeared and approached him. He slowly picked up the black wallet off the desk. Her mind racing from the crowd of voices around her, she turned to say something to Bogo. The look he gave her, as he walked past, silenced her immediately. She simply watched in silence as he walked back to his office. Nick's wallet firmly in his paw, Bogo stopped at his office door, which was slightly ajar. Nick's words replayed in his head as he opened the door slowly. _"…you never gave a damn about Judy…"_ He stopped for a moment in the middle of the office and turned his attention back to Nick's wallet. He opened it back up, exposing Nick's silver badge once again, and he was about to close it when he noticed something protruding from an inside pocket. It appeared to be a white backing of a photo of some sort. Slowly, he gripped its protruding edge and removed it from its hiding place. It was a small photo, folded in half. Bogo unfolded the photo and gazed at it. It pictured Judy, dressed in a flowing wedding gown, surrounded by fellow female officers. Bogo's feet staggered forward a step, eyes trained on the image. He turned to his right and gazed at his massive wall. His numerous awards and photos from over the years adorned it, but Bogo turned to one particular photo. Positioned near the upper right side of the wall, a group of three officers smiled at him. On one side was himself, dressed in his full uniform. In the center, Judy, also in her dress uniform, smiled as she embraced the side of the late Officer Leo Johnson. Bogo's gaze moved to the male lion, who was flexing his forearm. He started to remember that moment in detail.

As he walked over to his desk, he set the wallet down as he took a seat. For a moment Bogo laughed under his breath, and he looked at the ceiling, thinking of that day. He thought of his dead friend, who showed off his new rank of First Sergeant, and grinned, with his head held high. He looked up from his desk, back at Judy in the photo. Judy had been one of Officer Johnson's main supporters for the then vacant position. The picture, taken at the moment, showed her hugging Officer Johnson. Her eyes beamed, and her smile shone for his admirable character. Bogo looked over at himself in the picture. His once long-time protégé before becoming chief and Hopps, together with him; he stared at the indescribable expression of joy on his face. Bogo sat at his desk, his emotions seeming to turn on him at that moment. He closed his eyes as he recalled the conversation he had had with Judy after the picture had been taken. _"Hopps, Johnson and his family owe you a great deal of thanks for what you did for him. If there is a shred of decency left in this department, I will see sergeant strips on you, sooner than later."_

It was only then after he opened his eyes, he knew what needed to done. He grabbed Nick's badge as he stood up. Anger roaring within him, he reached down and threw open his top middle drawer. He searched through it for a few seconds before withdrawing a brass key. Without hesitation, he circled his desk and approached an old, dented stand-up locker, positioned in a dark corner of the room. He gripped the brass key and unlocked the padlock and opened the door. Bogo simply stood there and stared at his old tactical uniform and body vest hanging within it. Bogo stared into a small mirror mounted inside the locker door. Breathing through his nose, he started to unbutton his uniform shirt.

"Can you believe it?" A female lynx officer asked a male otter, as they broke off from a group of officers huddled together. "I mean, I've heard some of the crazy stories about Wilde. But I never would have—" The lynx's whiskers twitched when Bogo blocked the pair's path.

Bogo, holstering his service weapon, rotated his broad shoulders to check the tightness of his body vest. He stared down at the two junior officers as he cracked his neck and said, "Move." The two junior officers immediately jumped to one side and watched Bogo pass.

Bogo, stopping shy of the main floor area, said with a roaring voice, "Shut it, everyone!" The room immediately went quiet. "Now hear this, all of you! I need around four volunteers, suited up in full gear." He looked around. "I will be putting you, as well as myself, in harm's way." Bogo walked past an elk officer and called back over his shoulder, as he turned a corner. "One of our officers is in danger, and I intend to return here with Hopps and Wilde alive." The huddled, silent officers looked at one another. Joseph Hindquarter emerged from behind a group of officers. His fellow officers watched him struggle to attach his body vest with one paw. With his other, he threw a large black bag over his shoulder, as he rushed to follow Bogo.

"Hindquarter, wait up!" Greg reached down for his vest and bag. Opening a side drawer, he reached in and retrieved his service weapon. Holstering it, he raced to catch up with Hindquarter.

Dumbfounded by both Hindquarter and Wolford, the crowd watched five more officers follow behind them: Higgins and Fangmeyer, along with three recruit officers. Bogo stopped next to a service elevator and watched the group of officers approach him. They each looked at him, and he nodded to them. After the doors to the service elevator opened, Bogo led the group inside and he turned around.

_**Two hours later…** _

Nick arrived close to the intersection where the warehouse was located. The smell of salt water drifted in the air Nick started to search through the trunk of Greg's police cruiser. He unzipped a medium-sized bag in front of him. "I know you keep some kind of backup in here, Greg," he said as he rooted through the bag. Nick removed a reflected jacket, a clipboard and a few personal items. He clenched his jaw, but his face fell as his ears flexed slightly to two individuals approached. Lowering the trunk lid, he pressed his back to the rear of the cruiser and looked down.

"Wouldn't you love to take a bite out of her? I bet she's nice and tender," a deep male voice said, then it paused. "I may try and ask the boss if I can after she is all done with her."

Nick, his heart racing, listened to both laugh aloud. He slowly peered around the rear bumper as two armed coyotes stopped in the road and faced each other, before turning back around. The pair, too involved in their discussion had failed to notice the parked cruiser a few yards away from where they stood. Nick, exhaled as he slowly stood, glancing at the backs of the two and slowly reopening the trunk lid. Returning to the bag, he opened the last zipper pocket along one side. Nick stopped digging through the pocket and smiled.

The item was a medium sized black, zippered case, and Nick turned it over in his paw. Lowering himself into a squat, he laid it on the ground. As he leaned around the rear of the cruiser, Nick watched the two same coyotes turn back along the road, and back to the warehouse. He unzipped the case. Inside, held in place by elastic bands along the sides, were a 9mm Sig, and two loaded magazines. Nick, checking the road once more, removed the gun from its strap and raised it to eye level. After taking one of the magazines out, he placed it behind his back. The eerie silence along the old section of the Port Authority surrounded him, the cool evening air brushed across his face. Nick inserted the second magazine into the gun. As he rose cautiously from behind the cruiser, he pulled back the gun's slide assembly and chambered a round.

Nick, his body low as possible, quickly moved along a set of buildings that stood next to warehouse 48. The gun outstretched, he turned to check behind him as he moved along the backside of a storage depot, full of tires. _"Okay, now I need to find a way to get in"_ He looked to check along the back side at the warehouse. Nick squinted and tilted his head a little to one side. For a few seconds, he simply waited, before he ran toward the warehouse. Nick reached the rear of the building unseen, now able to see more clearly what he had noticed before. _"Now that's different,"_ he said. A recently installed plain metal door, along the rear wall, stood in front of him. He walked toward it and he scanned along the building's exterior. Nick pulled down on it, testing to see if it was locked. His heart skipped a second as a sudden 'click' sounded, followed by the door opening slightly. His gun raised, he peered into the darkness within. Nick, taking a deep breath, took a step inside, as the darkness engulfed him.

Nick knelt next to an old, broken crate, his natural night vision illuminating everything in front of him. His ears flexed over his head as a loud, high-pitched scream echoed through the room. Nick immediately recognized it muttered. "Judy!" Nick muttered

"Why?" Judy shouted. Using the wall and the cover of darkness along the back of the warehouse, Nick moved closer. "What do you want?" she yelled out desperately, as Nick hid behind a thick vertical column. He leaned around and observed the scene in front of him. Judy lay on the cold, hard floor, crying as she clutched her stomach, and Natalya hovered over her.

Nick, his rage exploding from within, gripped the gun tighter in his paws as Natalya lowered her gun to Judy's head.

"Revenge." Natalya replied slowly and clearly.

"Natalya!" Nick stepped away from the column. He held his gun out in front of him as he emerged out of the shadows toward her. "Drop the gun!" His voice echoed as he moved forward into the building's lighted area. "Drop the gun and move away from her, now!"


	13. We’ve Got Company!

**Chapter 13 – We’ve Got Company!**

“Nicholas…” Natalya watched Nick advance toward her. She immediately circled behind Judy, her gun still pointed down at her. “…this is a surprise.” Natalya, grinning, grasped the back of Judy’s neck, causing her to rise slightly. “I have to say, you have hardly changed a bit, since the last time the three of us were all together.” Natalya studied him. “I can see you’re starting to get a little greyer in that gorgeous red fur of yours.” She paused for a second. “How’s the old shoulder wound by the way?” She laughed eerily as she watched for a reaction.

Nick advanced, one step at a time, toward Natalya and Judy. “Let her go, Natalya!” Nick stood firm, his gun pointed straight at Natalya.

“Ah, no. I don’t think so, Nicholas,” Natalya replied as she took two steps back, tugging Judy. Judy, with pale and trembling features, let out a sharp scream. “Drop your gun, Nicholas.” Natalya pressed the gun against the back of Judy’s head and eyed him. “Manners must be observed, Nicholas, if you have any hope in saving your charming wife here. Didn’t sweet Marie raise you to have better manners than this? Her last thoughts were of you, the last time we were together.”

Judy, her bottom lip trembling, looked pleadingly at Nick. Nick’s pulse quickened inside his neck. He snarled, tightening his grip on the gun. Nick turned his attention for a moment to Judy, and his heart immediately dropped into his stomach. Judy trembled as she lay on the ground, her face was swollen and bleeding. “Carrots, are you alright?”

Judy winced as razor-sharp claws wrapped around her throat. A sharp pain raced down her spine as she struggled to scream. Natalya lowered her head, her gaze never leaving Nick, as she bent down to Judy’s left ear. “Don’t even think about it, little bunny,” she whispered. She raised her head back up and smiled back at Nick. “No, no, no.” Her voice grew louder. “Nicholas, dear, that’s not the way this works; you don’t get to change the rules.” The tone in Natalya’s voice changed back to a sweeter and more innocent tone. “If you want to talk to your dear little Judy here, you need to lower the gun.”

Nick narrowed his eyes as he stared wordlessly back at the arctic wolf. He gritted his teeth, eyes Darting from the gun to Judy, then back to the gun. He looked at Judy and then back to Natalya, as the click from the gun’s hammer was pulled back.

“Nicholas?” she called. Nick’s shoulders felt like lead as he slowly lowered his gun. Judy started to cry, her eyes widening as she watched Nick slump in a defeated sigh. “Well done, dear. Now, slowly put the gun down at your feet, like a good fox,” Natalya instructed, again in her sweet voice. She watched with a broad smile as Nick responded to her every order. “That’s a good boy; now kick it gently to the side.”

* * *

Three police cruisers raced along a dimly lighted street, their lights flashing, toward Zootopia’s Port Authority complex. Joseph Hindquarter, who sat next to Bogo in the lead car, clench his seatbelt as Bogo continued to increase their speed. “Chief, what exactly is our plan of attack?” He looked over at Bogo nervously. “I mean, we do have a plan, right?” Joseph looked over his shoulder and stared at one of the recruit officers in the back seat. He turned back around, “Chief?” Joseph looked again at Bogo.

“The plan is simple, Hindquarter…” Bogo said calmly. “We find Hopps and Wilde.” Bogo hit the brakes and made a sharp left turn. Joseph felt his stomach churn as he and the other officer gripped the car’s interior.

Hindquarter swallowed hard as the car accelerated once again and said, “Yes, but…what about…Specknoff, Chief?”

“You and the others are not to worry about Natalya,” Bogo replied as the lights from the Port Authority grew brighter in the distance. Joseph gazed through the windshield. “I'll deal with her myself. Just worry about finding Hopps and Wilde and getting them to safety.” Bogo reduced the car's speed as they approached the main gate of the Port Authority. Stopping inside the main gate area, Bogo threw his driver’s side door open. He looked at two security guards approaching the cruiser. Turning his head, he gazed out at the massive stretch of shipping containers in the distance.

“Chief Bogo?” a deep voice asked while Hindquarter and the recruit officer got out. Bogo turned toward a large gate security office, from which a tall brown and white bull emerged. The bull, built similar to Bogo, approached the three officers. "Torres, I’m head of security here.” He extended his hoof. “I got your message you left with my operator. It looks like you were right. I verified with our leasing office. The warehouse you mentioned, has, as of last month, been leased by a company calling itself Solar Life." Torres watched more ZPD officers appear from two more cruisers. "I'm afraid there has been a development since your call, Bogo. When I sent two of my guys over to have a look at the place, they ran into a situation.” He whipped his head around. "Jacobs!" He looked back at Bogo. "Jacobs here was one of the two; he can tell you what he saw in more detail."

Jacobs, a male serval, appeared behind Torres. "Chief Bogo, as we approached the location, we were met by a group of so-called private security mammals. At first, it was only three, a raccoon and two coyotes." He watched Higgins and Fangmeyer move to his right and stand next to their vehicle. "The raccoon started to approach me, as I started to walk closer to the warehouse. He pressed a paw to my chest and ordered us to leave and said that we were trespassing. One of the coyotes then approached us with an assault rifle across his chest."

"What did you do then?" Bogo asked.

"The only thing we could do, at that moment…we backed off." His ear rose as his body shook. "We don’t carry weapons on a daily basis, unless needed to. As we left, I noticed three more mammals exit the warehouse.”

“Was one of them a female arctic wolf?” Greg said.

Jacobs looked at Wolford. “No, not that I could recall at that moment; one of them was a second male raccoon. He approached the other and started talking to him in a low voice.”

"Gibbins brothers," Bogo muttered. He looked over at Torres. “What about my officer I alerted you to?”

“We did see your Sergeant Wilde enter through the gate, but there has been no physical sign of him since then,” Torres replied. “We found his cruiser abandoned, just down the road from the warehouse in question. He must have parked it out of view and went on foot. My guys radioed in with its location.”

“How far away is the warehouse from here?” Bogo turned and gazed across the rows of metal shipping containers in the distance.

“The warehouse is in area 3A, near the outbound piers.” Torres turned and pointed down the road. “The fastest way to get to it is down this road here…” Torres pointed to a side road off to where they were. “…past the weight station. You just keep on the road until you cross a set of rail tracks. Once you do, you will need to make a right turn and head towards the piers. The warehouse should be along the right side by the intersection, about a half a mile or so. Your cruiser is parked halfway along the last road, on the left.”

“How many personnel do you have on duty right now, Torres?” Bogo looked at his own officers. Each of them looked at Bogo and Torres.

"No more than twelve,” Torres started to rub the back base of his neck. “Bogo, what exactly is going on here? Why are there armed mammals walking around in my port?”

“What’s going on here is that as of right now, Torres, I am declaring jurisdiction over this entire facility.” Bogo turned around and started to walk back over to his cruiser. "I want you and every one of your guys armed. Your officers, along with my own will form a hundred-yard perimeter around that warehouse. I want every roadway, alleyway, railway, and waterway closed off from that building. Do we understand each other?”

“Now just wait one minute, Bogo; you do not have—“ Torres took a step forward.

“Shut the hell up, Torres!” Bogo whipped around and stared back at him. “Under city code 147, subsection 2E, as Chief of Police, I have every right. I have full authority to claim jurisdiction on this whole port, when and if a life-threating danger exists." Bogo walked around to the passenger side of the car. "Wolford, get your tail in the back. You too, Hindquarter. Both of you are coming with me." He looked at his remaining officers. "Higgins!” Bogo approached him. Higgins and Fangmeyer ended their conversation with the three junior officers. “Get on the radio with Clawhauser. Have a few medical units sent over here immediately. I have a bad feeling about this. If Hopps is in that warehouse, her current condition will warrant medical attention. I want you to remain here and stand by with them when they arrive.” Bogo looked over at the recruit officers. He turned his attention over to Fangmeyer. “Fangmeyer, I want you and these three to go with Torres and his mammals. I’m putting you in charge of the perimeter. I want you to be on channel eight if I need further help. No one goes in or out without my orders, understood?”

“Yes, Chief!” Fangmeyer replied as she and the recruits walked over to where Torres stood. A few of Torres’ guards looked at one another.

Bogo turned and walked back to the car. “Torres, I’m taking Jacobs and having him show us where the cruiser is. Once he does that, I’ll have him drive back and report to you. Wolford!” He observed Greg talking with two of the rookies. “I said, get your tail in the car, now! Hindquarter, grab your rifle from the trunk. Let's go. Everyone, move!”

As minutes passed, the ZPD cruiser proceeded along the narrow road described by Torres. “Turn right here, Bogo; the car should just be a few yards further down this road,” Jacobs said. Bogo hit the brakes, causing everyone to lunge forward in their seats suddenly. “Chief?” Jacobs, his paws holding onto the dashboard, looked at him.

“We’ll walk from here,” Bogo replied as he opened the car door and got out. “Jacobs, once you check in with Torres, report to Officer Fangmeyer for your orders.” Joseph and Greg both got out. As the three of them walked along the isolated road for a minute, Greg suddenly noticed to his left the abandoned cruiser, its rear trunk still wide open. “Wolford…” Bogo spoke suddenly and pointed to the abandoned cruiser. “…check it.” He noticed a footpath on the left side of the road, across from them. “Hindquarter, I want you to make your way, quietly, around over here…” Bogo pointed down the path. “I want you to find the intersection and make your way to the other side. Report back what you see on your radio.” Bogo walked back over to Hindquarter as he talked. "Use those storage sheds on the far end as cover for as long you can. Stay out of sight. Go, now!” Bogo stopped and watched Joseph disappeared.

Meanwhile, Greg finished his check of the vehicle. The keys were still hanging from the ignition, so he removed them and proceeded back to the open trunk. “Ah…Chief?” Greg said with a worried tone as his eyes fell to a small item lying on the ground.

“What is it, Wolford?” Bogo walked back to where Greg stood.

Greg picked up the empty black case, quickly examining it. He showed it to Bogo. “My backup weapon—it’s gone.” He looked dead at Bogo as he handed him the keys to the cruiser. “Nick always knew I carried one in my duty bag. He must have taken it.” Greg slammed the trunk lid without thinking. As the sound of it echoed, both Bogo and Greg turned toward the road.

“We got to move, now!” Bogo grabbed Wolford and rushed across the road. In the slip seconds that followed, he caught sight of two forms began to move up and along, fast, from the intersection nearby. Desperate not to be seen, he and Greg struggled to find cover along the road. Bogo, in haste, noticed a tall cluster of oil drums, stacked on pallets. He nudged Greg over to them. Bogo crouched low behind one of the stacks as Greg crouched next to a large wooden crate full of scrap metal. “We’ve got company!” Bogo whispered. Greg drew his weapon and inadvertently knocked a metal bar over, causing it to hit and knock a stack of metal debris to ground. Greg, closing his eyes, held his breath, knowing he had just made thing worse.

“Who’s out there?” one of two red coyotes shouted. “Come on out, now!” The coyote shouted as he chambered his rifle.

"The noise came from over there, near that crate," the other coyote said to the first. “Go check it out.”

Greg peered through a small gap. Two coyotes, one gray and on red, the latter with his rifle held up, were walking toward them. He turned to Bogo and raised his fingers in the air, and he wordlessly signaled to him what he was seeing. Bogo removed his gun and listened to the coyote’s footsteps grow closer. Greg looked back at the cruiser, then to the approaching coyotes. Greg got Bogo's attention. Greg motioned to Bogo and gestured his plan, then Bogo nodded. Greg snatched up something Bogo had tossed on the ground and disappeared. Bogo pressed his back up against the barrels and laid his gun on the ground. He shifted his weight slightly when the footsteps stopped just on the other side of the barrels.

“I know you’re there; I can smell you.” The coyote sniffed the air and stepped forward. He shifted his body weight and swung around the stack of barrels hiding Bogo. His weapon still raised, his eyes widened. "Cops!" The coyote eyed the gun on the ground and looked at Bogo. "Hey, wait a minute, I know you. Yeah, you’re that police chief, Bogo.” He paused. “Wow, looks like today is going to be my lucky day." He pointed his weapon at Bogo.

“Wait!” Bogo raised an arm in the air.

“Wait…” The coyote tilted his head to the side and gazed at Bogo. "...for what, Bogo?” He lowered his weapon slightly. “You think I'm going to let you just walk away from here? That I'm going to change my mind and not kill you? I don’t think so.” He raised his gun again.

“No, it’s not that,” Bogo gazed back at the coyote. “I just need to stall you for a few more seconds.” The sound of an engine followed by the flash of lights suddenly hurtled down the short path. It was over in seconds. The coyote, his body frozen by the illuminating lights from the oncoming car, tried to turn his gun on the car. Wolford ducked his head behind the wheel as the front end of the cruiser hit the coyote and slammed into the mound of metal debris. The top half of the coyote’s body bent over the front end of the hood, his lower section was crushed between the two. Bogo looked up in alarm. He realized that Wolford had inadvertently driven straight into the mount of scrap metal next to him, in his attempt to incapacitate the coyote. His brow raised, he stared into the eyes of the deceased coyote. _“That didn’t go as planned,”_ he thought.

Gunfire erupted all around them. The dead coyote’s companion raised his gun as he howled deeply and began to fire round after round at Greg, who was in the cruiser. Bogo, grabbing his weapon off the ground, quickly returned fire. His first two shots ripped into the coyote’s shoulder taking pieces of flesh with it. The third and last bullets flew straight and true, killing the coyote instantly. Bogo opened the door to the car and climbed in as Greg threw the car in reverse. The deceased coyotes slid off the hood as the car pulled back. Greg threw the car back into drive and hit the gas. The element of surprise gone, he drove straight for the intersection. Gunfire again overwhelmed the cruiser as its windshield was riddled with bullets. Greg slammed on the brakes, sending the car into a skidding halt. His and Bogo’s heads ducked low, Greg threw the car back into reverse and hit the gas. The car veered off the road and crashed into a group of shipping containers. Bogo returned fire through the shot-out passenger window. Greg, opening the driver side door, stepped out as he too began firing, using the door as cover.

"Chief, we got to move, now!" Greg fired a few more times, before ducking down to reload.

"Use the shipping containers behind you as cover,” Bogo yelled. “Get to the other side; I’ll cover you. Go!" Greg ducked as low as he could and dash around one of the metal containers. Bogo emptied his magazine as he ducked out of the driver’s side. Seconds later, he dropped to a knee behind the container, struggling to breathe. "We need to…find a way…to get closer." He looked around, gauging the terrain. "Any word from Hindquarter?"

"No, Chief, nothing." Greg edged to the far end of the container. He raised his gun and peered around the side, so that he could gauge the intersection. He sprinted over to a heavy cinder block wall just off from the container. Crossing the short gap, Greg heard as the gunfire from across the intersection ricocheted off the ground and objects around him.

"Hindquarter, what’s..." Bogo closed his eyes as more bullets pinged off the metal container he hid behind. "Hindquarter!" A few seconds passed without any response. “If he’s not dead, I’ll kill him myself,” Bogo muttered as he reloaded. He moved to the edge of the container, fired two shots across the road at the warehouse, and took cover again. He reached down the switched his radio channel dial. “Fangmeyer, come in.”

The female tiger’s voice replied instantly. “Chief?”

Bogo knelt as he tried to look around the container safely. “We’re taking fire west side of the intersection, from the warehouse.” Bogo looked back over his shoulder to confirm no one was sneaking up on them. “Get your tail up here.” He rose and fired two more shots across the road. “Move east along the other side of the intersection; I need you to locate Hindquarter.”

Natalya whipped her head over her shoulder, as the sound of the gunfire erupted outside. The gun in her paw started to shake for a fraction of a second, as she continued to press it up against Judy.

“Seems almost familiar, doesn’t it, Natalya?” Nick said. He continued to hold his paws up. He listened with bated breath as the ongoing gunfight continued. _“Now I wish I hadn’t given up my gun so quickly,”_ Nick mumbled, his eyes looking dead at Natalya.

 


	14. Officer Down!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait. I hope you all can forgive me. Please take the time and leave a few words about the story to date. Hope you all enjoy the new chapter. - Ughdar

**Chapter 14 - Officer Down!**

Natalya clutched her gun with both paws and looked back at Nick. "It doesn't make a single bit of difference, Nicholas." She looked back behind herself for a second. "The Gibbins are faithful to me. They will not disappoint. Your friends out there will not be able to save—" Natalya raised her paws suddenly to her temple and dropped to the ground. Two bullets passed above her ears and shot through the air. She let out a yell as she turned back toward the warehouse entrance. Nick and Natalya turned their attention to two large bullet holes in the far-right wall. As Natalya rose off the ground, without thinking, Nick made a sudden charge for Natalya, whose attention remained on the bullet holes. He struck her with all his weight, and they both landed on the concrete floor. Nick pinned her down as he struggled to knock the gun from her paw. Having a body much smaller than that of an Arctic wolf's, Nick knew he could not hold her for a long time as he was able to knock the gun loose on the ground. His whole body was lifted and thrown to the ground also. Nick, struggling to his feet, knew his actions wouldn't be forgiven. Natalya, standing erect, extended her claws. She let out a deep growl as she lunged savagely at him. Nick, dodging left and right, he evaded her first few swipes, as he turned in a circle before he felt his upper back erupt in searing pain. Crying out, he felt Natalya's sharp claws sink deeper into his flesh. Nick struggled to remain upright as pain raced along his back. He tried desperately to retreat on all fours, only to collapse a short distance from Judy.

"Pathetic fox, you're a traitor to all canid kind," Natalya shouted. "Taking this one, over your kind, as your mate." Natalya took a deep breath. "A weak and worthless prey." She walked forward and kicked Nick hard in the abdomen. "Blending her kind with ours is an utter abomination!" She reached down and lifted his head off the ground. "The canid bloodline must never be corrupted." Striking Nick across his jawline, he felt his face burn with pain as he collapsed to the ground. Natalya, her face now flushed, looked over at Judy for a moment as Nick struggled to get up. "Get up, Nicholas, now!" she said down to him, grabbing the back of his neck. Nick felt pain explode along his back as he was forced up off the ground. On his knees, Nick cleared his throat and spat directly into Natalya's face.

Nick felt himself fall back to the ground, his head hitting the hard concrete. Natalya, wiping her face free of his saliva, staggered back from Nick. She turned and walked over to Judy, grabbing her by the back of the neck and dragging her closer to Nick. Kneeling next to her, Natalya peered into Judy's eyes. "I loved him you know, Jaheem." She grabbed Judy's head. "He was the one thing in this world that had any real meaning to me. Do you have any idea how it feels to lose a part of yourself that quickly?" She let go of Judy. "Someone you love so much." She continued to look at her. "Let me show you the pain I went through."

"Go to hell!" Judy said. "You're—" Judy's words were cut off by a hard punch to the face. Natalya stood and kicked Judy hard in the chest.

Nick, watching this, as he staggered to his feet, rushed toward Natalya and struck her hard across the face. Both Nick and Natalya collapsed once again onto the ground. Landing back on top of her, Nick, letting out a massive growl, continued to hit repeatedly across her face. Natalya reached behind Nick's already bleeding back and sank her claws once more into it. Nick arched his back backward as he screamed out in pain. Using her natural reflexes and strength, Natalya grabbed at Nick's neck. Her paws clenched around his windpipe, she slammed the side of his face into the concrete floor. With a free paw, she reran her claws along the length of his back, ripping further into his flesh.

* * *

"Chief, I'm running low!" Greg fired two shots as his gun's slide lock locked back. He dropped down and released the empty magazine from his gun. Greg reached to his side and inserted another magazine. "Last one!" Greg chambered a bullet as he stood back up, then fired twice. Bogo raised his head slightly as he peered around and noticed two raccoon-like figures suddenly move across his field of vision, back towards the warehouse.

"Chief Bogo!" Fangmeyer's voice crackled over the radio. Still crouching, Bogo pressed his back against the oil drums. "Chief, I found Hindquarter and am with him now. His radio is malfunctioning." She paused for a moment over the radio. "He says he may have a way in the warehouse."

"Where? How?" Bogo replied.

"Hindquarter said he spotted a side door on the east side of the warehouse," Fangmeyer responded. "If the two of us can get across the road we could get inside and—"

"Just hold on," Bogo said. "Wolford and I need both of you to put pressure on the group in front of us." As his eyes flicked up and down the road, an idea suddenly popped into his head, and he said. "Fangmeyer, when I give the word, I want you and Hindquarter put down some suppressing fire along the west corner. Draw their fire away from us." Bogo motioned to Wolford and pointed toward a cluster of automobile tires stacked high on pallets a short distance from them. "Wolford, when I tell you, move toward those tires." Bogo rose to his feet. "Fangmeyer, tell me when you find a good position and be careful." He looked back along the road they had driven down. "Torres, come in." He paused. "Have your guys move up twenty yards and set up a new perimeter."

After a few moments had passed, Fangmeyer's voice spoke once again through the radio. "Ready, Chief."

"Alright, light 'em up," Bogo said into the radio. Almost immediately, multiple gunshots rang nearby. Bogo watched the individuals ahead of them drop out of sight. "Wolford, go!" Bogo said before he and Greg raced down the short road.

"Hindquarter, I see Bogo and Wolford, they're on the move," Fangmeyer shouted as she shifted behind a brick wall to reload.

As Greg rushed past the body of a deceased lynx, he shot a fellow timber wolf close to where the tires were. Greg quickly dove for cover. Bogo, out of breath as he too took cover, caught sight of two familiar male raccoons. The pair were huddled close to one another behind a dark SUV.

"I can't believe that worked," Greg told himself. He rose and fired in the direction of the pair of raccoons. "Now what, Chief?" He dropped behind the tires as their thick rubber began to absorb bullets fired at them.

"Gibbins brothers!" Bogo yelled in utter annoyance as he knelt. "Those two have been a thorn in my tail for far too long." He paused for a second. "Switch places with me, Wolford; move!" Bogo ordered to Greg as he moved him to the side. His attention focused on the two raccoons he realized he had an opportunity. He brought his radio to his mouth. "Fangmeyer, I need you to take Hindquarter and—" Two bullets shot through a small opening between two tires as Bogo felt his radio slip out of his grip. The edge of his massive forearm burned, and he grasped at it. "Damn it." He looked at his forearm, dropping back to a knee as small drops of blood showed.

"Chief, are you all right?" Wolford pressed his right side against the tires.

Bogo, his face twisted in rage, rose to his feet. He pressed his gun firmly to his chest with his injured arm and yelled out in a roaring voice. "That's it; I should have done this years ago!" Bogo took a step away from the stacked tires. Through a shower of gunfire aimed toward Greg, Bogo yelled toward the SUV. "Clarence, Thomas!" His voice echoed in the gunfire as the two brothers looked at him. Thomas Gibbins, himself unable to fully believe what he was witnessing, turned his gun on Bogo. Bogo, his massive frame still advancing, began to fire rapidly at the one brother. Thomas collapsed dead to the ground; three bullets holes visible in his chest.

Wolford, picking up the radio from the ground, watched as Bogo continued to walk forward. "Fangmeyer, cover the Chief. Move up! Target the SUV," Greg shouted into his radio as he too rushed forward.

Clarence, ducking low from the overwhelming gunfire now on him, rushed over to grab at his brother. He watched Bogo come only mere feet to him and his dead brother as he raised his gun and pointed it at Bogo. Bogo lowered his weapon as he merely stared back at Clarence.

"Don't even think about it!" Hindquarter said suddenly behind Clarence, in his ear. "Drop it!"

Bogo walked over and stopped in front of Clarence. Greg, restraining a ferret he had wounded during the shootout, approached behind Bogo and looked over at Clarence. With his gun aimed at the raccoon, he spoke firmly. "Natalya, where is she? Where is Judy?" Clarence, his dead brother in his arms, looked at Greg.

"You're too late. That bunny is as good as dead," Clarence replied. He turned back to look at Bogo. "You failed, Bogo." He laid his brother on the ground and stood erect. Clarence, his gun still in his paw, took a step toward Bogo and put his head on the barrel of Bogo's gun.

"Go on, Bogo. Do it. Shoot me." He looked up into Bogo's eyes as he dropped his gun to the ground. "Shoot me!"

Bogo suddenly hit Clarence across the jaw with his fist as the raccoon spun and collapsed on the ground. He turned to Hindquarter. "Hindquarter, get this piece of trash out of here; he's not going to tell us anything important." Bogo then looked over at the warehouse in front of him. "Fangmeyer, you and Wolford…" He turned to Greg, "…come with me."

"What's our next move, Chief?" Fangmeyer asked diligently, walking with Greg as they both followed Bogo. Bogo, eyeing the scene around him, stopped just past the bullet-ridden SUV. He turned and addressed her. "Fangmeyer, that door you said Hindquarter located along the side." He gazed at the female tiger. "I want you to take Wolford and slip inside, fast and quietly. Then spread out and locate Judy and Nick." Grabbing a radio, he raised it to his mouth. "Torres, come in."

"Yes, Bogo." Torres's voice crackled through the radio.

"Have everyone started processing the scene inside the perimeter. Assist as best you can." Bogo turned once again, and his eyes darted around the devastation around him. "Higgins… are the EMTs on station?"

"Yes, Chief, they're standing by at the main gate as instructed," Higgins' voice replied through the radio.

"Move them up. Instruct the EMT's to start treating any wounded you come across." Bogo finished lowering the radio down.

"Chief?" Wolford spoke suddenly. "What about you?"

Bogo turned to look at Greg. "Once I'm sure you two are safely inside, I'm going straight through that front door over there," He said firmly, raising a finger and pointing right behind Wolford.

* * *

Her breathing heavy, Natalya rose to her feet and stepped over Nick, who was bleeding heavily on the floor. There was a mixture of blood and sweat on his face, his lungs struggled to fill with air. Nick placed both his front paws firmly on the ground and started to lift himself slightly off the ground. "I swear…I'll…kill you."

Natalya, bruised, stumbled as she turned to look back at him. "You can't kill me, Nicholas. I'm already dead." A slight grin formed across her muzzle. "Look at the two of us, Nicholas. How similar are we both? Natalya laughed. "Well to a point, I should say." She moved toward him. "I had, in this very building, someone I loved more than my own family, and he was taken from me." Natalya raised her head in the air and closed her eyes. "I can still see his face." She turned to a bare spot on the warehouse floor. "He was taken from me right there." She pointed. "Murdered by you, all those years ago." She gazed over at the floor. "Jaheem was everything to me, just as you were everything to your mother."

Natalya let out a deep sigh before taking a few steps away from Nick. Shortly after grabbing the gun Nick had knocked out of her paw, she walked back in-between Nick and Judy, still lying on the floor. "Such a sweet old vixen, your mother was. Would you believe me, Nicholas, if I said it pained me to kill her?" Natalya let out a callous laugh. "No, of course, you wouldn't. Hell, I wouldn't believe it myself." She turned to look and point the gun at him. "So…who among you two will see their loved one's life taken from this world?" She looked over her shoulder at Judy, who was still shaking on the floor. "My dear Judy, will it be your foolish husband?" Natalya then turned the gun to Judy and looked back at Nick. "Or, Nicholas, will it be your weak little wife?" She adjusted her grip on the gun as she paused for a moment. "Tick, tock, you two," Natalya spoke childishly.

Nick struggled to focus; unable to think clearly, he noticed, for a fraction of a second, a narrow beam of light appears off to one side. He looked at Natalya and then Judy. Lying there, her tear-soaked face stared at Nick, as Judy continued to cover her abdomen. Nick's back was bleeding and becoming matted, and he struggled to support his weight. Nick took a deep breath as he raised his head to Natalya. He rose to his knees, as blood dripped from his mouth. Nick licked his lips and spat blood onto the floor. "Go to hell, where you belong, Natalya."

"Hell?" Natalya, tilted her head to the side as she lifted a single eyebrow. "Yes…let me show you how it feels to be there, Nicholas." She moved over to Judy and pointed the gun at her, cocking the hammer back.

"ZPD, drop your weapon!" A male voice roared across the warehouse. Natalya whipped her head around and pulled the trigger, as the gun shifted a fraction.

Judy let out a deep gasp as she felt the bullet ripping into her. Nick, crawling toward her, shouted, "Carrots," as she closed her eyes.

Greg and Fangmeyer appeared out of the shadows, causing Natalya to turn and made a desperate run for the main door. She watched Nick reach Judy, a smile appearing on her face. Running as fast as she could, she collided with Bogo. Natalya collapsed to the floor and dropped the gun. She watched as Greg and Fangmeyer now rushed to Nick and Judy's side. Natalya reached for the gun again.

"Move one inch, and I swear to whatever god you believe in, I will shoot you, right here and now," Bogo spoke in a slow, deep voice.

Natalya looked up and saw Bogo, standing over her, his gun aimed at her head. "Chief Bogo," she replied casually, "now this is a surprise; I would never have thought in a million years the two of us would meet like this." She moved her paw an inch.

"Don't do it," Bogo replied.

Natalya, a grin forming across her face, looked into Bogo's eyes one last time. "You think any of you have won." She grabbed the gun and raised it.

_**Bang!** _

Bogo, lowering his gun, stared for a moment at Natalya's lifeless body at his feet. His attention shifted drastically as the sound of Nick cries filled the warehouse.

"Carrots! No, no, no, Carrots, come on!" Nick clutched Judy in his arms, pressing his paw into her shirt. "Come on…stay with me Judy, please…you need to stay with me!" Brushing a bloody paw across her face, he started to cry over her.

Judy opened her eyes ever so slightly, struggling to breathe as she mumbled, "Nick…I'm sorry."

"Nick!" Greg called as he rushed over to them. "Nick, come on, buddy. Nick, look at me, we got her!" Greg yelled as he forced Nick to let go of Judy. "Fangmeyer, get your tail over here and help me!" Fangmeyer, dropping to her knees, grabbed Judy's left side as she and Greg laid her on the floor. "Fangmeyer, give me your radio!" Greg yelled. "Nick, I need you to keep the pressure along here!" Greg pressed Nick's paw back over Judy's left chest as he raised the radio. "Higgins, where are you? I need medical assistance right now!"

"In front of the warehouse, with a medical team. What's your location?" Higgins responded.

Greg raised the radio back up and yelled, "Where the hell do you think we are, Higgins? Inside. Hopps is shot; she's been shot! We need a team here now, damn it!" Throwing the radio on the ground, he checked Judy's pulse. Greg felt a slight pulse move across two of his fingers from her carotid artery.

"N…Nick?" Judy started to cough up blood as she spoke. A weak smile appeared on her face as she reached out and touched Nick's face. "All th…three of us…love…" She closed her eyes as her outstretched paw fell lifelessly to the ground.

"Carrots? Judy, Judy!" Nick screamed.

The world seemed to slow down as Nick continued to yell at Judy as she lay on the ground. As medical personnel began to appear on either side of Nick, someone grabbed his arms. "Sir, I need you to let go. Sir, please sir, we got her. One of the EMT's called out to Nick as he was forced to let go of Judy. An EMT lioness called into her radio. "We need more help in here." As she said this, she noticed the deep lacerations along Nick's back. "Sir, I need you to lie down for me. You need to stop moving."

Greg watched as two EMT's went to work on Judy. One of them cutting into Judy's shirt exposed her chest around where she had been shot.

"Roll her over for a second," the lioness ordered as she turned Judy on her side and checked along her back. "Alright, no exit wound. What's her pulse?" She looked over at her teammates. "Come on, guys, let's go!" She lowered Judy back onto the ground. "Someone needs to start talking to me." She hovered over Judy. "Officer Wilde?" She opened one of Judy's eyes and shined a small pencil light into it. "I need you to stay with us, dear." The lioness was handed a dressing as she placed it over Judy's wound. "Tom, start her on a 2.5% IV solution."

"Pulse is weakening…it's, it's gone, no pulse, it's gone!" One of EMT's shouted.


End file.
